INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
Seattle’s Asian Pacific Islander newspaper for over 44 years
September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 1
2 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 3
IE OPINION
Asian American, Pacific Islander unionists vow to organize and resist Trump By Cindy Domingo Guest Columnist The Pacific Northwest delegation to the 14th Biennial Convention of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) joined over 650 other Asian American and Pacific Islander trade unionists, labor leaders, and community partners in Anaheim, California from August 17-20, 2017. The convention theme, “25th Anniversary of Resistance— Organize and Fight,” reflected the tenor of the delegates at the convention who pledged to go back to old-fashioned grassroots organizing to resist President Donald Trump and his administration’s racism, sexism, and homophobia and his anti-worker and anti-immigrant policies. The 35-member NW delegation included representatives from a number of unions including Service Employee International Union locals and UNITE HERE Local 8, the hotel and restaurant workers union, both of whom have large numbers of Asian Americans. Other locals represented from the Northwest were the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), AFSCME, International Association of Machinists (IAM) Districts 751A and C and Boeing engineers with SPEEA, and the ironworkers and electrician unions. APALA President Johanna Puno Hester opened the convention emphasizing the significance of where the conference was sited. “Orange County (where Anaheim is located) is the epicenter of right wing attacks,” Hester said. As one of the highest ranking Filipino labor leaders in the United States, Hester recounted the right wing’s unsuccessful efforts to divide and destroy the powerful 100,000-member United Domestic Workers Union affiliated with AFSCME (American Federation of State and Municipal Employees), where she also serves as Special Assistant to the Executive Director. Despite the efforts of the conservative Freedom Foundation to divide the Vietnamese community from other minority groupings in their homecare union and take away the union’s right to collect dues through paycheck deduction, the union remained united against the attacks. Doug Moore, Secretary Treasurer of UDW AFSCME 3930, stated that the union and its rank and file went door to door to the community and its workers and fought back and continues to grow in numbers. In a show of solidarity in the fight against racism, APALA organized a demonstration at the convention in support for the people
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in Charlottesville, Virginia, who are resisting the KKK and the neo-Nazis. Kent Wong, founding member of APALA and National Executive Board member, recalled that when APALA was founded 25 years ago, the Los Angeles riots, in response to the acquittal of the LA police officers in the Rodney King beating, were occurring. APALA also organized a solidarity action at that founding convention in solidarity with the people in Los Angeles in their anti-racism struggles, especially in support of the black community who had suffered historically from police brutality and the injustice of the criminal justice system.
APALA’s History APALA was founded in 1992 by six international unions including two who have large numbers of immigrant Filipino workers, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE). Rich Gurtiza, Regional Director of Seattle’s Alaska Cannery Workers’ Union, was one of APALA’s founding members. It is the first and only national organization of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) workers, most of who are union members, and who work with community partners to advance worker, immigrant, and civil rights. Affiliated with the AFL-CIO, APALA’s mission is to address the workplace issues of the 660,000 Asian and Pacific Islander union members and serve as a bridge to their communities. Similar AFL-CIO organizations have been formed to serve the African American, Latino, and LGBTQ union members and their communities. Seattle has had an APALA chapter for over two decades with connections with members in Olympia, Portland, Vancouver, and South King County. APALA’s membership and leadership spans the diaspora of the AAPI community and was reflected in the hundreds that attended the 2017 convention, the panels and workshops presented and the issues that were taken up. Because of APALA’s leadership training emphasis, it has become the training ground for many young people to enter the labor movement. In previous years, APALA has conducted Organizing Institutes to train new organizers for the labor movement. This year, pre-convention activities included organizing and political training for hundreds of young workers and rank-and-file union activists. Likewise, younger labor leaders have brought a new perspective linking current day issues
IE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ron Chew, President Gary Iwamoto, Secretary Arlene Oki, At-Large Jordan Wong, At-Large Edgar Batayola, At-Large Lexie Rodriguez, At-Large Peggy Lynch, At-Large Nam Le, At-Large COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER Lexi Potter lexi@iexaminer.org
BUSINESS MANAGER Ellen Suzuki finance@iexaminer.org
CVA COORDINATOR Ngoc Dinh cva@iexaminer.org
of the prison industrial complex and police brutality, climate change, and the difficulties of undocumented students and their families into the center of APALA and the broader labor movement.
The Fightback is On Luisa Blue, Executive Vice President of SEIU, who got her beginnings as a Filipina nurse in San Francisco and organizing other fellow nurses four decades ago, took the podium to talk about labor’s plan to fight back against the current administration. “We need a long term plan,” Blue said. “We need to build a 21st century union and organize and mobilize in an unprecedented manner. We must work with the community to accomplish this.” Lee Saunders, International President of AFSCME and the first African American AFSCME President, warned that “the Supreme Court, the right wing, and the present administration want to make every state a right to work state and is targeting public sector jobs.” The Janus vs. AFSCME case, which is certain to be heard in the conservative Supreme Court next year, seeks to “effectively eliminate unionized public sector jobs by taking away the union’s right to collect dues and making it voluntary.” Saunders stated that in effect, this case is “an attack on the right to make a decent living and to retire in dignity.” AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre, the first AFL-CIO Ethiopian officer, talked about his history as a refugee coming to the United States by walking 93 days to the Sudanese border to find freedom and that his experience of risking everything to come here was shared by many other immigrants and refugees. He called on convention delegates to “not abandon our spaces for the right wing to take them….” and that … “every day must be election day.” Gebre and other keynote speakers railed on the importance of registering our communities to vote and to take back our country through political action and voting.
The Struggle Goes Beyond Borders The convention was joined by a delegation of two dozen labor and peace activists from Okinawa and Japan who have been mobilizing against the proposed expansion of U.S. military bases on the island of Okinawa. The APALA convention unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the end to U.S. military base expansion on Okinawa. Other interna-
EDITOR IN CHIEF Travis Quezon editor@iexaminer.org
ASSISTANT EDITOR Chetanya Robinson news@iexaminer.org
ARTS EDITOR Alan Chong Lau arts@iexaminer.org
CONTRIBUTORS Cindy Domingo Bob Shimabukuro 21 Progress Mayumi Tsutakawa Kae Saeteurn Kelsey Hamlin Chris Juergens Yayoi Winfrey Tasveer Fred Wong
Joshua Talosig Roxanne Ray Cynthia Rekdal Taylor McAvoy Dandi Meng Antonia Dorn Nalini Iyer DISTRIBUTORS Joshua Kelso Makayla Dorn Maryross Olanday Antonia Dorn Kristen Navaluna Kat Punzalan Eli Savitt Stephany Hernandez Vincent Dy INTERNS Kanami Yamashita Christine Smet
tional guests were from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Maldives who shared the working conditions of people in their country and their efforts in fighting against corporate greed. Eunice How, Seattle APALA Chapter President, stated that she “was also impressed by the many international guests APALA hosted. My family is from Malaysia so I was especially excited to hear from the Malaysian brother Joseph Paul from the labor rights group Tenaganita.”
Northwest Leadership Three members of the Northwest delegation were elected to APALA’s National Executive Board. Jason Chan, President of IAM District 751-A, and Ligaya Domingo, Education Director at SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, will be serving their first terms. Jason Chan stated: “I am truly honored and humbled to be appointed to represent the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers on the National Executive Board. For far too long, the AAPI community has not been heard regarding social justice and economic issues. I look forward to having those conversations as well as building strength from within our AAPI membership.” Tracy Lai, former Seattle Chapter President and instructor at Seattle Central College, was reelected National Secretary. “APALA’s 25th anniversary is important to me because APALA has grown when many other labor groups are shrinking. APALA is poised to give leadership that can unite community and workers movements. If we can maintain our organizing focus, APALA will certainly help give structure and support to the resistance emerging everywhere,” stated Lai. Furthermore, Lai stressed, “As a community college instructor, APALA keeps me informed of the most pressing issues in API communities. APALA’s analysis guides me in my political work and how to connect my local, statewide and national efforts.” Seattle APALA will be presenting a convention report back and a discussion on racism in the labor movement on Saturday, October 14 featuring Kent Wong, UCLA Labor Center Director. Kent Wong is also known for his outstanding work in defense of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students. For more information, contact Eunice How at eunice@8.unitehere. org.
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4 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
COMMUNITY VOICES
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
The health of our community begins with a vote Pathways to Health By International Community Health Services Akemi Matsumoto recalls her grandmother, who came to the United States from Japan when she was 18 years old. She worked hard, paid taxes, and raised 12 children alone after the death of her husband. Even so, it took 50 years and passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1952 before she could vote. “She was classified as an “alien, ineligible for citizenship,” Matsumoto said. It is a lesson Matsumoto does not allow herself to forget. “I register and encourage others to vote every election in honor of her, Chiyo Yamane Morishige, my bachan,” said Matsumoto, who is an active member of the API community and a board member at Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Civic Engagement Votes. With the ability to organize, Asian Americans and other minorities represent a powerful voice, able to demand action and legislation that represent their interests. “Getting our community members to speak up, act, and support each other is the game changer for health equity,” said Teresita Batayola, CEO at International Community Health Services (ICHS). “We saw this recently when hundreds of thousands across the country saved Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, when they called, emailed, and met with Congressional leaders. Many more demonstrated to emphasize how Obamacare saved lives.” Batayola continued, “That was powerful because elected officials realized fully that they are accountable to voters for policies and programs that improve the health of our communities.” The Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian voter bloc is expected
Faaluaina (Lua) Pritchard, Asian-American activist, bangs the gong during a “lobby day” at the state capital in Olympia, 1999. • Photo by Dean Wong
to double to 12.2 million by 2040, according to a 2015 report from the UCLA Center for the Study of Inequality and Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. In 2013, only 60% of eligible Asian Americans voters were registered. Obstacles include a lack of language assistance and outreach from political parties, and voter ID laws that discourage minorities. Kay Nelson, program coordinator at Interim Community Development Association, notes, “Information about current events, local or national, aren’t or haven’t been as accessible to some as they are for others, so people don’t feel included and engaged in political processes.” Local API leaders emphasize voting is a necessary step to building and preserving community. “There are so many city policies and laws that affect our community—and we want to have a voice in that,” emphasizes Jamie Lee, director of community initiatives at Seattle Chinatown Preservation and Development Authority. “We not only want the residents of the Chinatown-International
District to understand the issues that could change their lives, but also have a say in the outcome.” ICHS supports initiatives that increase voter registration and civic engagement including the Asian American Pacific Islander Community Health Organization’s “My Vote, My Health” campaign, which works with health centers to encourage voter registration. ICHS is also co-hosting a Chinatown-International District voter registration event at Hing Hay Park on Sept. 26. “There is great power in knowing that my voice can influence policy, services and who gets elected,” said Tagoipah Mathno, ICHS foundation development specialist. She is Cham American and active within her community. “I look back at history and how much people have sacrificed just to exercise this right so those who are able can vote today. I do not believe in leaving it up to chance to get the right resources to our community. We need to be involved in the process.” Mathno notes Sept. 26 is National Voter Registration Day and points out easy steps to increase civic involvement, including:
● For those who are registered, making sure voter information is up-to-date by going to myvote.wa.gov ● For those who have not yet done so, registering to vote online or with a trusted organization ● To reach those with language barriers, calling 206-296-8683 to request a ballot in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, or Spanish ● Attending candidate forums such as the one being held in the ChinatownInternational District on Oct. 13, at Nagomi Tea House, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. ● Picking up local newspapers to read about individual candidates, issues, and legislation As local resident Rachta Dahn commented, “The International District is a special community where the repercussions of anything, good or bad, that happens in Seattle is felt and magnified. People will continue to tell us what we want rather than listening to us tell them what we want if we don’t show up and vote.”
About ICHS Founded in 1973, ICHS is a non-profit community health center offering affordable primary medical, dental and vision care, acupuncture, laboratory, pharmacy, behavioral health, WIC and health education services. ICHS’ four full-service medical and dental clinics—located in Seattle’s International District and Holly Park neighborhoods; and in the cities of Bellevue and Shoreline— serve nearly 29,000 patients each year. As the only community health center in Washington primarily serving Asians and Pacific Islanders, ICHS provides care in over 50 languages and dialects annually. ICHS is committed to improving the health of medically-underserved communities by providing affordable and in-language health care. For more information, please visit: www. ichs.com.
President Trump’s decision on DACA is unjust: Undocumented APIs entitled to constitutional protections By Lara Carson & Marissa Vichayapai 21 Progress As news circulates of President Trump’s termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, anxieties surge among members of the local Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community. State attorney generals from 10 conservative states have announced an ultimatum to sue the Trump administration if it does not repeal DACA, a program which entitles young, undocumented people to work and receive education free of the threat of deportation. In Washington alone, APIs constitute 26 percent of the state’s undocumented population with 10 percent eligible for DACA. Without access to DACA, undocumented APIs may experience violations to their most fundamental rights including access to healthcare and fair working conditions along with the eminent possibility of deportation. With the announcement that DACA will be phased out after six months, it is critical
Marissa Vichayapai of 21 Progress speaks to members of Seattle’s Tongan community about DACA and other immigration policies on July 11, 2015. • Photo by Shawn Porter
for DACA recipients and undocumented APIs to know their rights and practice precaution. No new applications for DACA will be accepted, but those with a permit will continue to benefit from the program until the permit expires. DACA recipients whose permits will expire between today and March 5 can apply for renewal by October 5.
Among the liberties secured by DACA is the use of Employment Authorization Documents (EAD). These work permits obtained through DACA are valid until their respective expiration dates. EAD ensure the legal right to work even if DACA is revoked. Employers are not permitted to fire or alter work status of employees with valid EAD and employees are not obligated to inform their employers of any changes to DACA.
DACA recipients can also acquire social security numbers through the program that are effective in perpetuity, regardless of DACA’s status or the validity of EAD. Those with social security numbers may continue to use them for banking, housing, education, and other purposes. DACA recipients without a social security number should apply for one while DACA is still legitimate, though they can only be used for employment functions with possession of a valid EAD. Primarily, DACA protects recipients from the danger of being deported. However, as the program’s future is determined, criminal arrests may increase the risk of deportation for undocumented APIs. If stopped by law enforcement, undocumented APIs have the right to remain silent and refuse entry into their homes. Whether defended by DACA or not, undocumented APIs are entitled to constitutional protections. To learn more about resources available for undocumented APIs, visit www.21progress.org.
OPINION
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 5
Fo’ Real: Women in my life By Bob Shimabukuro IE Columnist Reading the following 23-year-old article from September 7, 1994, I had written for the IE (sent to me by Fumiko Hayashida’s daughter Natalie) reminded me that I have been pushing for the caring, take-onlywhat-we-need-culture, rather than the take-all-I-can-get (damn everybody else) culture, for the last two-decades; and that it was very simple: Women of color have been acting and theorizing about how we should proceed. We should be listening to what they are saying and working with them. They have carried the ball. They are the best to lead and continue the struggle when the going gets tough. *** “What did you say?” Dad demanded. He had just missed a large part of our dinner conversation. Sometimes, it was because his English comprehension, which was in general very good, would fail him. But recently, I had noticed that he was missing more. “Looks like time to get a hearing aid,” I had said. I hadn’t expected his response, but he was somewhat defensive about things like that, perhaps because he felt that there was no way he could afford a hearing aid, perhaps because he was just a little vain and felt that he was a little too young for that sort of thing. Whatever his reasons, I had pressed some wrong buttons. I felt threatened. By him. And by my nesan (older sister) Toki. Toki had this way of controlling events at the dinner table.
Whenever I got out of line, I would suddenly feel my leg or foot pinched by Toki’s toes. Pincers. Crab-like. And now, I could feel her toes and her dreaded stink eye, which said, “You’re asking for it. Stop right now.” I purposely did not look her way, and said very softly in order to prove my point: “You need a hearing aid.” The pressure on my toes increased noticeably. “WHAT DID YOU SAY?” he countered with a voice which shook the termite-infested walls of our house. I glanced quickly at my sister, saw her warning shot, felt more pressure on my foot, but decided to ignore her. “You just proved my point,” I told my dad quietly. Whereupon he stood up and yelled, “WHO THE HELL YOU THINK YOU ARE? START GOING TO JUNIOR HIGH AND YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING?” Then he got up and stomped out of the dining room. I felt crushed, stupid, and hurt. All I did, I rationalized to myself, was tell him something he needed to hear. But before I had a chance to lick my wounds, Toki started in, not only increasing the pressure of her pincer toes, but also dishing out her own brand of verbal abuse, which ended with a very strong, “Now you go and apologize to him.” I didn’t dare disobey her. I swallowed what little pride I could salvage and apologized to dad for my rude behavior. He graciously accepted my apologies, then said very sternly, “Next time, just talk louder ... and mind your nesan.”
Like he knew what was happening under the table. *** I was home from school one day, laid up with an asthma attack, trying desperately to breathe. Mom was with me, gently rubbing my back, singing. My brother’s cocker spaniel, named Ronnie Hansen Shimabukuro after the Baltimore Oriole shortstop, lay just off the futon as close as he could get to us without being shooed off, when we heard a car drive up. Mom stopped singing, got up, peeked out the window and came back quietly, gently petted Ronnie, and sat down next to me again. “Electric man,” she said softly. “Shhh,” she admonished Ronnie. The bill collector pounded on the door. “Anybody home?” he asked loudly. Ronnie got up, growled softly, looked at mom, who again wanted him to be quiet with what we kids termed the old “stink eye,” then calmly went back to his spot, stretched out and carefully watched my mom with his inquisitive eyes. After about five minutes of absolute stillness inside the house and a racket outside our front door, the “electric man” left. “Good dog! What a good dog, I guess you can stay in the house today,” sighed Mom with relief as she went to the door to pick up the all-too-familiar termination-of-service notice. “Well, at least we gained another 24 hours by sitting still...and tomorrow’s payday,” she said laughing softly. ***
Sometimes we tend to minimize the influences of the “ordinary” women in our lives. Not so the exhibit, Strength and Diversity: Japanese American Women 1885-1990, which does include some “well-known” JA women, but focuses on the “ordinary” ones. We all know these women, even though we may not know them by name. They are our grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters, and granddaughters. And they have a common experience. Of coming of age in [incarceration] camps. Of extreme poverty, hardship, and hard work. Of keeping families together. Of celebrating achievements no one dreamed possible 50 years ago. This exhibit was put together by the National Japanese American Historical Society and Oakland Museum five years ago. It’s not a travelling exhibition circulated through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and it’s opening in Seattle September 21, running until December 4. Seattle Japanese American women have been working on the local component of this exhibit, so there will be even more connection to this travelling exhibit than most. Of course, the feature photo of this exhibit is the wellknown one of Fumi Hayashida (now living on Beacon Hill) carrying her daughter, as they were being forced out of Bainbridge Island in 1942. The Pacific Northwest District Japanese American Citizens League, Wing Luke Asian Museum, and Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community have endorsed the exhibit. Check it out.
6 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
COMMUNITY
Announcements UW student group raises funds in hopes of spreading Korean traditional music
adults. Participants will meet some of the most influential Asian American leaders in the private, public, and non-profit sectors, and learn how their professional success is intertwined with their championing of equity and social justice. Hyeok Kim, City of Seattle Deputy Mayor will give the keynote address.
Newly-formed student organization, Hanwoollim UW, is raising funds online through GoFundMe. Their goal is to raise $8,000 in order to purchase their own traditional Korean instruments and performance outfits by the time school The daylong seminar will be held on begins at the University of Washington on Saturday, September 30 at Keiro Northwest. September 27. Admission is free but registration is required. According to their GoFundMe, For more information and to register, visit Hanwoollim UW is currently a group of jaclleadershipsept30.eventbrite.com. 12 Korean and Korean American students who play samulnori, a type of traditional Panelists to discuss housing Korean music. They hope to grow their affordability in Seattle membership and explore other types of Sightline is hosting “Building the performances, such as traditional Korean Affordable City,” a panel discussion on drumming. Hanwoollim UW performs at September 20 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. a range of events, from events at UW to at the Rainier Arts Center. This panel the Torchlight Parade. discussion is free and open to the public. To donate to Hanwoollim UW, visit The two panelists, Kim-Mai Cutler www.gofundme.com/hanwoollim. of San Francisco and Daniel Kay Hertz of Chicago, will discuss their respective Gaining Influence—Developing cities’ struggles and successes with growth Leaders for Equity and Justice in and change, and how those struggles and Private, Public, and Non Profit Sectors successes can be applied to the city of Seattle. Sightline’s executive director Alan The Seattle Chapter of JACL is holding Durning will moderate the discussion and a seminar on leadership development Q&A. For more information, visit http:// for emerging leaders, early career www.sightline.org/2017/08/22/eventprofessionals, students, and other young building-the-affordable-city/
Event to focus on empowering women in Seattle parent Jeff Lew’s latest the workplace in the U.S. and Japan GoFundMe to eliminate lunch debt in Japan-America Society of the State Washington state schools of Washington is hosting “Empowering Women in the U.S. and Japan: Women in Leadership” at the Bellevue Hilton on Thursday, September 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Jeff Lew has started a new GoFundMe to eliminate school lunch debt in all 295 of Washington state’s school districts. Lew, a Seattle father of three, has already raised $100,000 on GoFundMe to eliminate debt This event will focus on contemporary in his local school districts. challenges and best practices related According to Lew’s GoFundMe, to empowering women in the United students who may not qualify for free or States and Japan. There will also be a reduced-price meals still may not be able panel to discuss women’s participation to pay for them. If students cannot afford in the workforce, economic growth lunch or have lunch debt, they either in Washington state, and changes in receive alternative meals that often do not corporate culture to further gender fulfill nutritional requirements or no meal equality in the workplace. Panelists at all. Lew’s GoFundMe also explains that include Representative Sharon Tomiko lunch debt may hurt students’ success Santos (D-WA), Denise Moriguchi (CEO, in school because they are unable to Uwajimaya Inc.), Sara Sandford (owner focus due to hunger, or students who of Garvey Schubert Barer), and Yochiro experience “lunch shaming”—receiving Yamada (Consulate General of Japan in an alternative meal instead of a hot Seattle). lunch—are embarrassed about being “Empowering Women in the U.S. and unable to pay for lunch. To view the new Japan” costs $25 for Japan-America campaign, visit www.gofundme.com/ Society members, $35 for non-members, erase-washington-school-lunch-debt. $15 for student members, and $20 for student non-members. To register for or sponsor the event, visit jassw.org.
Ayame Tsutakawa Remembered By Mayumi Tsutakawa Special to the IE My mother, Ayame lwasa Tsutakawa, passed away a few weeks ago at Keiro Northwest in the special unit for memory care patients. For a decade and more, she lived with dementia. Although she remembered less and had little logical thinking, she remained a gracious and polite Japanese lady who loved music of all kinds. Ayame was born in Hollywood, California, in 1924. As her mother was a busy restauranteur, Ayame was sent to live with relatives in Okayama, Japan, from the ages of 2 to 14. When she returned to the United States to live in Sacramento with her mother, she met a younger brother and a new stepfather. She became adept in Japanese traditional dance and music and was selected Miss Nisei Sacramento for the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1940. Like other Kibei Nisei who were born in the United States but raised in Japan, she was bilingual and continued a lifelong interest in Japanese arts and culture. The family was incarcerated at Tule Lake Camp in dusty northern California during World War II. The residents included many born or educated in Japan and Ayame performed traditional dance on stage there. In camp, she met Nisei artist and U.S. Army sergeant George Tsutakawa (1910 to 1997) who was visiting his relatives, the Moriguchi
Japanese restaurant named Iris Grill (her name Ayame in English) in Sacramento. The spot became a favorite of Nisei solders returning from the European front and stationed at a base nearby. In 1947, Ayame moved to Seattle to marry George and she became an adept chef and hostess for events with local artists and those visiting from Japan. Ayame was dedicated to the idea that the growing and busy Asian American community here should learn about and appreciate the arts. And she actively endeavored to get the non-Asian community to learn about Japanese culture. She organized one of the first Asian American art exhibitions at Wing Luke Asian Museum in the late ’70s. She became active in the Ikebana flower arrangement society, Asian Art Council of the Seattle Art Museum, and Kubota Garden. She leaves a legacy in the establishment of arts in Seattle. The wife of a noted Pacific Northwest artist, Ayame was invaluable in helping her husband to accomplish a life noted for his paintings, sculptures, Photo of George and Ayame Tsutakawa in 1950 and fountains. And she and George at George’s commencement for an MFA degree, University of Washington. • Photo courtesy of had four children, all involved in the family archive visual and performing arts today: family. George also was Kibei Nisei, Gerard, Mayumi, Deems and Marcus. born in Seattle and raised in Okayama She also taught an appreciation for Japanese culture to six grandchildren before returning to America. (Kenzan, Zana, Yayoi, Raeya, After leaving Tule Lake, Ayame Kizamu, and Carly). helped her mother to operate a small
NEWS
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 7
SEAeD Coalition highlights Southeast Asian educational experiences By Kae Saeteurn IE Contributor On August 25, community members gathered together for Beyond the Numbers: SEAs In Education, an event focused on highlighting the educational experiences of Southeast Asian communities. The event, consisting of discussions and performances, was hosted by Southeast Asian American Education (SEAeD) Coalition, a non-profit focused on advancing and empowering Southeast Asian communities. Between 50 and 70 percent of Southeast Asian Americans have not attended college. The percentages for those without high school diplomas is also high. Over the past few months, Sam Le, SEAeD’s Legislative Coordinator, and interns Jessica Do, Cynthia Nguyen, Nancy Lu, Dylan Tran, and Chanthadeth Chanthalangsy, set out to interview and collect the stories of Southeast Asian students in higher education. These students come from various academic pursuits and ethnicities, including Cham, Mien, Lao, and Vietnamese. In addition to these interviews, the group also engaged with local communities to address various issues, including the need for data disaggregation and ethnic studies in Seattle Public Schools. Ay Saechao, SEAeD’s Board President kicked off the event with some remarks. “Sometimes our numbers can be lost in the translation, meaning we are often lumped into this big group called ‘Asian American.’ [It’s] a huge group that includes numerous different ethnicities. When we’re lumped into that group, guess what happens to our Southeast Asian identities and communities? It gets pretty much erased.”
Part of the student panel at Beyond the Numbers on August 25, 2017. From left, Sam Le (moderator), Vyla Phavong, Faridah Abdullah, Dylan Tran, and Sopheak Neak. • Photo by Kae Saeteurn
SEAeD’s intern team gave a presentation on data disaggregation focused on Washington State’s numbers and current efforts. Within Washington State, Asian Pacific Islander groups are the fastest growing minority population. With this growth, disaggregated data helps to uncover discrepancies, particularly those that Southeast Asian communities face in education. “For Southeast Asian communities, there are a lot of major discrepancies and challenges we face in comparison to other Asian American populations,” said Le. “Really understanding what our communities are facing, being able to express it through data, and being able to tell our stories based off those numbers, we can really convince legislators and councilmembers to enact change.” In terms of the state moving forward with data efforts, some highlights in the presentation included the passing of House Bill 1541 into legislation in 2016. This bill im-
plements strategies to address and close the educational opportunity gap. Additionally, the presentation also touched upon the recognition and collection of data of Southeast Asians through the University of Washington’s Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity. Regarding the more recent push for ethnic studies in Seattle Public Schools, Dylan Tran said: “The Seattle Public Schools board responded with an Ethnic Studies Task Force, and that’s still being formed right now. It’s up to us as a community to put together pieces of ourselves and pieces of our history on that task force so that our narratives can be told in our textbooks. It’s our opportunity to write the history books.” Following the presentation was a keynote speech from Tốn Nguyễn, a Youth Initiatives Manager at Workforce Snohomish. Nguyễn discussed his own experiences growing up and working with youth in various diverse communities throughout Snohomish and King counties.
“[In high school] it took one teacher that really cared about me to finally help me get back on track. That one teacher didn’t have to do a lot, they just simply had to sit me down and tell me what they saw in me. I think a lot of times, kids don’t hear that enough. ... Sincerity is such an important aspect of engagement.” The event concluded with a four-student panel consisting of current undergraduate students from the University of Washington. The students took turns answering questions that ranged from discussing their educational experiences to important influences and inspirations. Faridah Abdullah, a senior at the UW, commented on her educational experience: “Something that inspired me in my education was that good grades meant that I was getting approval from my parents. I have a language and cultural barrier with my parents, me being born in America and them being born in another country. To them, what they know from their friends and other people is that if their kids did well in school, then they would go to college, get good grades, and get a good job and money. The only way to say that I really appreciated my parents was getting good grades because I didn’t know how else to tell them.” Vyla Phavong, a junior at the UW, reflected on the support she received from SEAeD Coalition, “Growing up in a diverse community and going to a primarily white high school, I didn’t grow up with people that had the same goals as me or knew what was going on. When I joined SEAeD, I met a lot of mentors and leaders in the community that were so willing to give me the opportunities and support me that I was taken aback by that. The community was a huge support [system] for me.”
After vandalism, Olympia historical Chinese marker repaired By Chetanya Robinson IE Contributor Since 2004, a historical marker recognizing the Chinese community of Olympia has stood in the city’s Heritage Park. In the past few years the marker has been vandalized, including by a rock. Most recently, someone used a Sharpie marker to scribble fake “Chinese” characters over a Chinese poem written in calligraphy on the marker. The defacement has now been cleaned up, thanks to Ron Locke, a member of the Olympia Chinatown Historical Project Committee.
A historical marker recognizing the Chinese community of Olympia has has been vandalized by graffiti. • Courtesy Photo
Ron’s cousin Brian Lock wrote in an email: “We know most of the community is very respectful of the Chinese Marker Olympia is rich in Chinese American and take time to read it when they visit the history. Lock noted that it was one of the Heritage Fountain in downtown Olympia. only places in Washington state where an There will always be some who want to anti-Chinese riot was prevented. vandalize historical signage.” Lock added: “We are very proud of the According to Lock, the marker is still Chinese Marker and does show the 150+ slightly chipped after being vandalized year history of the Chinese community in about five years ago. the South Puget Sound region.”
Thai Curry Simple is vending at Seahawks games this 2017-2018 season. • Photo by Jessa Timmer
8 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
NEWS
Community feels left in the dark about Donnie Chin murder investigation By Kelsey Hamlin IE Contributor Donnie Chin was perhaps one of the Chinatown International District’s most beloved community members. Since his death on July 23, 2015, when 59-year-old Chin was caught in the crossfire of what police say was gang violence, the CID community and many others are still looking for answers. Last week marked month 25 since Chin’s death, and the fourth meeting the community held with the Seattle Police Department (SPD) at Nagomi Tea House. “It’s sad to be here,” state Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (D-Seattle) said. “I always hate to ask you to come and relive an unhealed wound.” She noted that there were more cameras at this meeting than the last one, though there were only three. Santos, along with many other community leaders, feel they’ve been left in the dark when it comes to Chin’s investigation. “This is simply not acceptable,” Santos said. “This community is also a part of the public to whom the police are accountable.” Chin was someone many across all walks of life knew. From firefighters to drug addicts, from children to grandparents. Even the detectives running his investigation, James Cooper and Paul Takamoto, knew him. Chin was so tuned in to his own community and ready to help that he would often beat medics to the scene. At one point during the course of Chin’s investigation, case number 252355, the API community was told that the previous Assistant Chief Robert Merner was their lead contact. But, Merner reportedly left SPD without notice to the community. Santos inquired why nobody was told. “Donnie was a friend to the police department as well as the fire department,” SPD Deputy Chief Carmen Best said. “You don’t need to demand that we come out here, we’re here every day. The case isn’t going to stop with the exit of one person from the police department.” Audience members shook their heads at her statement. “I know you’re saying you want this as much as we want this,” Anne Xuan Clark said to Best. “It’s hard to believe you.” King County Councilmember Joe McDermott contended that it’s nonetheless important for SPD to see the community come together on the matter. “In November [2016], Chief Merner said we were very close,” Santos told Best. “We were all feeling that there was going to be news breaking imminently.”
Connie Chin-Magorty, Donnie Chin’s sister, closes the event with a brief thank you to the crowd and elaboration of Donnie’s life. • Photo by Kelsey Hamlin
Best explained that SPD had “gotten a lot more information but not enough to press charges.” She later clarified that there was no new information since the last time SPD met with the community about Chin. Best had explained at previous meetings that not many details about the investigation could be released because they could jeopardize future cases. Richard Mar, board chair of the International District Emergency Center (IDEC), said he was worried nobody would show up to the recap. But the room was full. “Look at this room,” he told Best, “and realize these are the leaders of this community.” Chin’s sister, Connie Chin-Magorty, said SPD only gets back to her after meetings and then the communication peters out. She teared up mentioning the fire department because they worked so closely with Donnie. She explained the two of them knew the names of the beat cops when they grew up in the CID, but now, she has no idea who patrols what. “Donnie was our hero,” Chin-Magorty said. “He helped all of us his whole life. If he didn’t help you directly, he helped someone you know.” She had to take a deep breath to continue as her voice shook. People behind her began using tissues to wipe their eyes. “It’s ironic that the people who shot him, he would’ve saved their life, gang member or not,” Chin-Magorty said. At one point, someone asked if there’s a way to check how much time detectives are putting into this case. Best contended there’s no literal time log, but they do have the dates
Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, represents Washington’s 37th Legislative District, which includes the CID. • Photo By Kelsey Hamlin
and times logged when detectives gather new information and conduct new interviews. These matters have to be updated on every case and reports sent in to higher-ups. Debbie Uno asked when a case is considered cold. “Typically a cold case is when all leads are exhausted,” Best said. “That is not the case here. This is not a cold case. We’re not even close to that.” If the case did go cold, Best said the community would be notified. SPD currently has their gang and homicide task force, forensics, narcotics, anti-crime team and ballistics on the case. After time goes on, they run ballistics again to see if there are any new hits in the system. Best would not identify agencies but said regional and federal partners are involved. Best explained that there’s been “a lot” of tips sent in to the department but they’re all anonymous. “We can still withhold your name,” she said, “but detectives need to speak with you.” This means they need an on-the-record interview. Santos expressed frustration over the fact that nobody even knew SPD got anonymous tips on the case. “Two years is an eternity for this community,” former City Councilmember David Della said. “The lapse in communication is very concerning to us.” Another audience member said the community feels helpless, and said he came for engagement. “We know somebody knows something,” Best said. “There were several
people there. Because of [Chin’s murder], it made us realize we need to do more work on gang-related homicides.” “Justice for Donnie doesn’t stop when we find his killer,” said Sonny Nguyen, public safety coordinator for the CID. “When he died, we lost a resource … I know I get questions of ‘now that Donnie’s gone, how can I walk home at night?’ Donnie saved this community hundreds of thousands of dollars doing the city’s job for them.” Chin-Magorty said SPD has not been communicative or clear about the progress of Chin’s investigation. “If you’re going to keep in contact with us that’s great but if not, stop telling people that’s the case,” she said. “The community gives [Donnie’s family] the same respect they gave him.” Chin-Magorty said she hopes her brother is watching the community from above. “He’s so lowkey,” she said. “I think now there’s so much outpouring of love for him. Some from people who may not have shown it while he was alive.” Chin’s memorial is still set up in Canton Alley in front of the family’s store, Sun May. Chin’s vest and first aid kit still reside at the Wing Luke Museum. “They talk about Donnie at tours,” Chin-Magorty said, chuckling. “He’d probably be horrified.” She recalled when Chin first began to engage with the community. It started with the “latch kids,” kids whose parents would lock them in the apartment and refuse to let them go outside alone for their safety. Chin offered to watch them while parents were gone. Best then approached and promised Magorty more calls and updates from SPD. They hugged. Elaine Ikoma Ko, board member of InterIm Community Development Association, wasn’t satisfied. “It wasn’t any different,” she said of the meeting. “I think Deputy Best is sincere, but I don’t think her resources are there for this. If they could at least put equal time in [as Donnie did]. The chance of finding the person goes down as time goes on. It’s the community that has to step up.” Said Santos: “We do feel like small potatoes in the City’s eyes.” There is a reward with Crime Stoppers for information leading to the arrest of Chin’s killer, at $11,000. To give them a tip, call 1-800-222-TIPS. The tip lines for SPD are (206) 684-5550 and (206) 2335000.
Former City Councilmember David Della speaks to SPD Deputy Chief Carmen Best as the crowd looks on • Photo by Kelsey Hamlin
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
NEWS
September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 9
Sajean Geer’s independence and self-reliance: The hidden keys to survival By Chris Juergens IE Contributor “I never really panicked and just took it all in stride,” Sajean Geer said about getting lost in the woods of the Olympic Peninsula with her dog for six days in July, while on a trip to spread her husband’s ashes. Geer, a 71-yearold Chinese American woman, survived by scavenging for pine needles and ants and drinking creek water. She built a makeshift shelter and snuggled closely to her dog, Yoda, at night as temperatures dipped into the 40s. After six days, Geer was rescued by a search team sent to find her. Geer’s calmness in the face of a life-threatening situation was merely another example of her fierce independence and strong self-reliance instilled in her from a young age by her Chinese father. “My father raised me to be very independent and self-sufficient,” Geer said. As a young child growing up in Seattle, Geer’s father allowed her to walk all over the city alone. She recalled one day when she was walking with her father, and she got distracted and hit her head on a parking meter. Although she started crying uncontrollably because of the pain, her father did not comfort her but rather waited for her to finish crying. Once she finished crying, he said, “Next time, watch where you are going.” Another time, after coming home bruised and clearly shaken from a fight at school, Geer’s father looked at her and said, “You are small. Use your head.” Geer’s father was suggesting that given her small stature, using her intelligence would be the only way for her to be self-sufficient. Geer thanks her father for instilling self-suf-
Jean Geer • Courtesy photo
ficiency and independence in her, which were ultimately key ingredients that allowed her to survive in the woods. Geer’s father’s own difficult experiences through the turbulent 1930s and 1940s influenced his resolve to make his own daughter self-sufficient and independent. An immigrant to the United States in the early 20th century, Geer’s father could not bring his family to the United States due to immigration restrictions against Chinese women and children under the Chinese Exclusion Act. He returned to Guangzhou, southern China, in the 1930s to rescue his family from the Japanese invasion. On the way to Britishcontrolled Hong Kong, which was a haven for Chinese refugees, Geer’s father was horrified by the number of babies and small children abandoned on the roadside. He also noticed that the children who survived were able to
keep up and make themselves an asset to the group. Feeling supremely guilty about not being able to help the children on the side of the road, he resolved to train his own daughter to be independent and self-sufficient to survive difficult experiences on her feet. Geer emphasized that her father’s parenting approach was quite unique both for the time period and within the Chinese American community. Geer and her family left China for Seattle in 1949 after the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War and the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Geer was a toddler at the time. Geer said her mother and others within the Chinese American community were openly against her independent mindset. They expected her to stay at home, take care of the house, assist with the family laundry business, and eventually marry a Chinese man. Instead, Geer earned a college degree from the University of Washington, hitchhiked across Europe for three months in 1969 with a female friend, and eventually married a non-Asian, Jack Geer, with whom she did not have any children (although she developed a close relationship with Jack’s son, Joe). “I always felt a lot of pressure from the Chinese community to date and marry Chinese men and to lead a traditional life raising a family,” Geer said. “I really was my father’s daughter, raised to have an independent mind and be self-sufficient.” After marrying her husband Jack and completing a graduate degree in business, Geer and her husband worked in hotel consulting and started their own business in the field. Always with a mind for adventure, Geer and
her husband chose where they wanted to live based on the type of personal lifestyle they wanted. Geer now lives in Port Angeles and teaches internet courses. Greer and her husband’s desires and dreams as a couple came before a desire to start a family and stay within the traditional expectations of a community. While Geer experienced pressure to conform from the Chinese community, she praised Chinese and Asian community values that emphasize self-respect, hard work, and the importance of education. “Asians recognize that life is not easy,” Geer said. Geer believes Asian children have an advantage as they are inculcated with critical values from a young age. Geer’s extensive outdoor experience is another reason why she was able to calmly face her predicament in the woods. Geer has been to both sides of the Everest base camp and spent three months trekking in the Himalayas. She and her husband were also regular hikers in the mountains near their Port Angeles home near where she lost her way for four days. “I’m completely comfortable in the outdoors,” said Geer. “Being lost in the woods was simply another adventure.” Geer currently lives on 30 acres of land in Port Angeles. She remains active in the outdoors and travels regularly. While deeply saddened by the loss of her husband, the selfsufficiency and independence instilled by her father will no doubt see Geer through to the next phase of her life, in the same way they got her through her adventure in the woods.
Family mourns Tommy Le, shot by police in June By Lilly Fowler Crosscut This story was originally published at Crosscut.com. Forty-nine days after police shot Tommy Le dead, his family said goodbye to the 20-year-old man. As Buddhist monks scurried about preparing for a morning service at Co Lam Pagoda in Seattle’s Rainier Valley, members of the family began to ready themselves for Le’s ceremony. He was, they say, kind, gentle and someone who “wouldn’t have harmed anyone, not even an insect.” One by one, his father, mother, aunts, grandmother, and cousin walked up silently to his silver urn, which was kept in the monks’ small quarters next to the pagoda, one of the biggest Vietnamese Buddhist temples in Washington State. Le’s grandmother cried as she caressed the vase holding Le’s ashes. Other family members lit incense and said a prayer. Inside the small, cramped room, offerings of food laid before a statue of Buddha, who, according to religious tradition, achieved enlightenment—knowledge and practices on how to end suffering. Le’s spirit, family members believed, would once again inhabit human form. What led to Le’s June 13 shooting death is still shrouded in unknowns. According to the King County Sheriff’s Office, three King County deputies arrived in Burien after authorities received several 911 calls reporting that an Asian man in the neighborhood was threatening others with a knife and that shots had been fired. A resident had apparently fired a warning shot after a
barefoot Le had stabbed at his door with an object in his hand, “all the while yelling that he was ‘The Creator.’” When deputies confronted Le, police say he refused orders to drop what they believed was a knife. They fired their tasers but to no effect. A deputy fatally shot Le after he reportedly moved toward them. Le died at Harborview Medical Center on the same day he was scheduled to graduate from Career Link, an alternative high school completion program at South Seattle College. At the graduation ceremony, when Le’s photo flashed on screen during a slideshow, his classmates cheered, unaware that Le had just been killed. A week later, the Sheriff’s Office reported Le had been holding a pen, not a knife, when he was shot. The shooting is currently under investigation by the sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit and that investigation will be reviewed by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Two witnesses, according to the Sheriff’s department spokesperson, have identified Le as the man who had been behaving erratically. Two knives have also been recovered from Le’s home. “Detectives believe one or the other was the one involved in the assault,” said spokesperson Sergeant Cindi West. Until now, Le’s shooting has not triggered widespread public protests or even news conferences. Buddhist tradition requires families to remain relatively quiet while in mourning. Vietnamese community members say the lack of pushback is also due to an emphasis on other priorities and a respect for authority. “The Asian-American community here and the Asian refugee community is a little more muted and that’s stemming from the
Aunt Xuyen Le, father Hoai Le and mother Dieu Ho pray during a service for Tommy Le at Co Lam Pagoda in Seattle’s Rainier Valley. • Photo by Matt M. McKnight/Crosscut
parents’ generation,” said Jefferey Vu, an engineer at Boeing who works with Le’s uncle. “Their priority is surviving, making money, education.” “Deference to authority, that plays some role,” Vu continued. “Police harassment is definitely an issue, but this national movement around police shootings is new to us.” Vu said Le’s family, as well as other members of the community, might not know enough about how to navigate the system and power and organize protests. Leaders within the Vietnamese community did hold a public forum in July, where King County Sheriff John Urquhart
speculated Le might have dropped a knife and then picked up a pen. Those attending the forum balked at the theory. Speaking through an interpreter, Le’s father, Hoai Le, a landscaper, simply said: “There’s no pain like losing my son.” At the funeral, a framed photograph of Le—crisp white button-up shirt, chin resting on one hand—stood surrounded by photos of dozens of others who had passed on to the next life. Le’s family said the ceremony was not about focusing on just one individual but about acknowledging an entire spiritual community. Surrounded by offerings of flowers and food, loved ones stared pensively at Le’s photo. Le’s family then filed into the temple’s main room and knelt for a two-hour ceremony, which was filled with others who had also lost someone. Those who had lost an elder wrapped their heads in a white cloth— a sign of respect. Le’s father, his hands in prayer, appeared deep in thought. “He was not a violent kid,” said Uyen Le, his aunt. “Everyone was really shocked to hear this happened to him.” When it was over, relatives packed up Le’s photo, planning to set up altars for him in two different houses. On the 100th day after his death, the family will return to the temple with the photo to hold one more ceremony. Le enjoyed chess, reading, and gardening with his grandma, his family recalled. He dreamed of becoming a firefighter, but was also interested in physics and welding. He promised his grandmother that when he made money one day, he would buy her a house. Said Xuyen Le, an aunt: “If he were still alive, he would want to take care of grandma.”
10 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
ARTS
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
State of Oregon explores a modern hate crime, remembers Larnell Bruce Jr. By Yayoi L. Winfrey IE Contributor With the release of her documentary, State of Oregon, Adele Free Pham makes one of her boldest on-screen statements yet. This time, the biracial filmmaker and Firelight Doc Lab Fellow, tackles the murder of a black teen in a 10-minute documentary. Currently a short, the film is being developed as a feature. Below, Pham discusses her project. Yayoi L. Winfrey: Why are your films always about race? Adele Free Pham: As a mixed-race person with a Vietnamese refugee father and white American mother, I’m not really allowed a legitimate racial identity other than my own creation, which my first documentary Parallel Adele is about. To a degree, Asians aren’t even considered real people of color. They just sort of tack us on. So, trapped in this black-and-white paradigm called America, I am drawn to the civil rights struggle as opening the door for Asian refugees like my father, whose country was ironically destroyed by the American military industrial complex. I was lucky to have an erudite, “woke” hippie sort of mom, who always supplemented my public school education with YA books about slavery, the Jim Crow south, the genocide of Native Americans, the Holocaust. It’s not just my Asian-ness that makes me a person of color. My otherness comes from growing up in a house-
State of Oregon
hold with parents from opposite sides of the globe, who really didn’t speak the same language when I was born. There’s a bit of madness in that I’ve yet to see in more than a handful of families, although hybridity is commonplace now. Perhaps that’s why I’m a bit obsessed with race and creating new historical narratives through documentary film. Film is our greatest teaching tool, and fostering empathy and multiculturalism in early childhood is the only way to eradicate
Bruce Jr. was in the film, speaks volumes to Portland as a place. When I began filming State of Oregon in March 2017, I was worried I wouldn’t have much of a story because no one besides hardcore activists like Teressa Raiford even remembered who he was. This goes for “woke” Portlanders of color as well, everyone is conditioned to forget. I realized that the narrative of this contemporary lynching of a black teen in Oregon was more palatable to a national audience because in Portland we are trained to forget the perpetual violation of people of color. It’s uncomfortable for the overwhelming white majority and undermines their control. This goes way back to Oregon’s constitutional foundation as a white-only state—a historical legacy that runs parallel to Larnell’s story, for proper context. This is the history we should be teaching in Northwest public schools. Instead, it’s been shrouded in secrecy until very recently. YW: What will audiences take away after watching it? AP: I hope that viewers question our indoctrination in white supremacy from socalled liberal albeit hegemonic bastions like Portland, to confederate Charlottesville, to global cities like NYC. It’s really about how we’re comfortable with it. I want the horror of what happened to Larnell to sneak up on you and stick in your craw. Hate crimes don’t happen in a vacuum, they are encouraged in overt and covert ways. It’s up to logical people to take a stand for more than a weekend, and not let identity politics blind us to the fact we are all losers in this system. YW: When will you make a featurelength version? AP: I’ve been trying to make a longer film/series about the experiences of people of color in Portland, since before Portlandia debuted and made us look even whiter and cornier than I thought possible. Except in Portlandia, whiteness is passive (besides the fact that there are virtually no people of color on screen). My proposed series is a response to why Portland is so white backed up by historical facts. I didn’t even know Oregon was founded as a white-only state (not unlike Washington) until I was in my late 20S living in Brooklyn, which says a lot about the place and what we implicitly accept in society. Mulugeta Seraw’s brutal murder and my own father’s shooting in 1983 are two “chapters” that were cut from the 10-minute State of Oregon film. These are stories that deserve to be told, and measured against the current gentrification that has displaced what was once the Black Portland enclave of Albina—originally formed by legalized redlining. The gentrification is insidious and low-income people of all ethnicities are being pushed out to the margins of Portland and Gresham. The night Larnell was run down was a symptom of these socio-economic pressures boiling over, met with a racist foundation that has never been atoned for. Anti-blackness is an international problem, really, from Portland to Guangzhou.
the scourge of white supremacy, globally. YW: What moved you to make State of Oregon? AP: I was born and raised in Portland, and acutely aware of my difference as a biracial Asian child in a predominantly white environment. Sadly, some of my earliest memories were of the neo-Nazi problem in my neighborhood. What I didn’t know was that in 1989, less than a mile from my childhood home, an Ethiopian immigrant named Mulugeta Seraw was beaten to death by a trio of neo-Nazis led by Ken Mieske, as their girlfriends looked on. When I heard about the murder of Larnell Bruce Jr., how white supremacist Russell Courtier violently ran him down in a jeep as his girlfriend Colleen Hunt cheered “Get em baby, get em,” it really took me back to an era that is still very much with us. Larnell died in August 2016 at the height of “Trumpism.” Like a lot of people of color, I was horrified that Trump’s ascendence to legitimacy was a green light to these, alt-right neo-Nazis to ratchet up the hate crimes. Still, we seem to already be forgetting the subsequent 2017 Max train stabbing murders in Portland—even Charlottesville as the days pass and the atrocities pile up. But it’s hard to find logical people who deny the spike in violent xenophobia across the country, perpetrated by white men who I deem domestic terrorists. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has slashed all federal funding to combat white domestic terrorism. We literally witnessed neo-Nazis parading with semi-automatic guns, shouting “Jews will not replace us” in Virginia last month, unbothered by law enforcement. That’s the epitome of white privilege. I hope America wakes up. If this is what’s going on in front of our eyes, imagine what’s going on behind the scenes. YW: How do you expect your audience to react State of Oregon? AP: I expect people to be saddened and outraged that this is happening in 2017, Watch ‘State of Oregon’ at vimeo. while realizing it comes as no surprise. Maybe we pushed white supremacy to the com/228097007. fringes, but with the internet, Trump, the And, look for Adele’s upcoming documenxenophobic chickens have come home to tary: “Nailed It: Vietnamese and The Nail roost! And I think Portland mayor Ted Industry” at www.naileditdoc.com. Wheeler’s inability to recall who Larnell
ARTS
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 11
Fall Arts Guide Welcome to the annual Fall Arts Guide where I try and highlight what events may be of interest to our readers. This is only a short summary of highlights. For complete listings, please visit iexaminer.org. Thanks and enjoy the arts!
Seattle artist Satpreet Kahlon has an installation of sculptures and video installations that look at labor, oppression, and the cost of importing mass-produced goods. Nov. 2–Dec. 7. Gallery 4Culture at 101 Prefontaine Pl. S. (206) 263-1589.
—Alan Chong Lau In Search of the Lost History of Chinese IE Arts Editor Migrants And The Transcontinental Railroads re-examines history and gives rightful recognition to those Chinese Visual Arts immigrants who helped build this country. The City of Seattle Office of Arts & UW Professor of Art, Zhi Lin uses every Culture fill the upper floor of King medium at his disposal to illuminate this St. Station with two timely groups untold history. Lin gives a walking tour exhibitions. Borderlands and And She of Tacoma’s old Chinatown on Sept. Persisted: Voices of Women Artists. 21 and does a Q&A on Nov. 16. On view Includes the work of Carina del Rosario, until Feb. 18, 2018. Tacoma Art Museum. Anida Yoeu Ali, Satpreet Kahlon and 1791 Pacific Ave. (253) 272-4258. many others. Free. Up until Oct. 29, 2017. Traces of Words: Art and Calligraphy 303 S. Jackson. Visit www.seattle.gov/ from Asia is an evocative tribute to the arts/borderlands for details. power of words and symbols presented Tara Tamaribuchi’s Camouflage Net in an imaginative sweep of cultures using Project is on view through Dec. 31, the latest digital technology. On view 2017 just south of Pacific Northwest Ballet through Oct. 9. Not to miss. Worth the at Seattle Center. Part of the Seattle Center trip to UBC Museum of Anthropology Sculpture Walk. It is the artist’s response in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. 6393 N.W. to the 75th anniversary of Executive Marine Dr. Visit moa.ubc.ca for details. Order 9066. Witness to Wartime: The Painted Searching For Home is Humaira Abid’s Diaries of Takuichi Fuji on view first solo exhibition in the United States from Sept. 16–Dec. 31. This exhibition is though she has shown extensively in based on Northwest art historian Barbara Pakistan and Europe. It is a site-specific John’s book entitled The Hope of Another installation with personal narratives, Spring: Takuichi Fuji, Artist and Wartime stories, and portraits of refugees in the (UW Press). A discovered illustrated Pacific Northwest and Pakistan. She asks diary that the artist kept on his war-time hard questions about immigration, women experience locked up in a Minidoka and families, and delivers her answers camp form the nucleus of this important in powerful, thought-provoking works exhibit. Johns will give an author talk and of art. Sept. 22, 2017–March 25, 2018. book signing on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 2 Bellevue Arts Museum at 510 Bellevue p.m. She does numerous other talks and Way N.E. (425) 519-0770. books signings throughout Puget Sound Wong Ping, an animated film artist from as well. Please see the website at Arts Etc. Hong Kong makes his Seattle debut at for details. Washington State Historical Interstitial Art Space in Georgetown Society at 1911 Pacific Ave. 1 (888) 238Nov. 11—Dec. 23. Open Saturday only 4373. from noon–7 p.m., 6007 12th Ave. S. on The imaginative, strong work of the third floor. Visit interstitialtheatre. installation artist Anida Yoeu Ali is on com for details. view at Feast Arts Center in Tacoma Japanese Swiss painter/sculptor/ during the month of October. Open photographer Leiko Ikemura makes her Saturday from 12 p.m.–4 p.m. and Sunday Seattle debut at James Harris Gallery Sept. from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. by appointment. They 7–Oct. 14. Her work addresses questions also have various arts activities and of genre, war, and religion. 604 2nd classes all week long. 1402 South 11th St. Visit feastarts.com for details Ave. (206) 903-6220. Teardrops That Wound: The Absurdity Performing Arts of War is a group show that exposes the When playwright Laureen Yee finds folly of war in our modern age. Curated her father missing, she must go down by SuJ’n Chon. Through Jan. 7 at the the rabbit hole into San Francisco’s Wing, 719 S. King. (206) 623-5124. Chinatown to find him. She takes the
audience on a personal tour. Directed by up Sara Porkalob directs Jiehae Park’s Desdemona Chiang. Sept. 8–Oct. 1. ACT spoof of Shakespeare entitled Peerless Theatre. 700 Union St. (206) 292-7676. on stage Jan. 18 - Feb. 11, 2018. 4711 Sara Porkalob is back with a new California Ave. SW. (206) 938-0339. Visit version of her one-woman piece entitled artswest.org for more information. Dragon Lady based on her grandmother’s memories of the mob and other stories. This time it is a musical with a live band. Should be a night of laughs and pathos with an invigorating sound track. Through Oct. 1. Directed by Intiman Theatre’s Andrew Russell. At the Jones Playhouse in the University District. Brooklyn Raga Massive performs a John Coltrane Birthday Tribute on Sat., Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Even though Town Hall Seattle is closed for renovations, they are still producing exciting events like this which is done in conjunction with Earshot Jazz. This East Coast ensemble has players equally adept at playing jazz and Indian classical music. It should be a stimulating blend. Sat., Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Plymouth Church at 1217 6th Ave. in Seattle. Visit townhallseattle.org for details.
Seattle Public Theater premieres two new plays by Asian American playwrights. Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig’s The World of Extreme Happiness looks at the gap between poor countryside and modern industrialized urban China in a play directed by Desdemona Chiang and produced with SIS Productions. Oct. 13– Nov. 5. Maggie Lee who had great success with her plays Tumbleweed Zephyr and The Clockwork Professor at Porkfilled Productions is back with a new play entitled The Flight Before Xmas directed by Amy Poisson. Dec. 1–24. 7312 W. Green Lake Dr. N. 206-524-1300 or boxoffice@seattlepublictheater.org. Robert Francis Flor has a new play Mabuhay Majesty set for Sept. 29 & 30. It looks at the conflict between traditional Filipino culture and the difficult transition into modern Western society. A look at the immigrant’s life in America. Rainier ArtsCenter at 3515 South Alaska. For details, go to florbob@ aol.com.
West Seattle’s ArtsWest comes out smoking with provocative multi-ethnic theatre this season. Samir Raval directs Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar’s The Who & The What. Conflict ... surrounds a brilliant Pakistai American To view the entire Fall Arts Guide, writer whose novel about women and Islam compiled by IE Arts Editor Alan Chong shocks her ultra-conservative Muslim father and sister. Sept. 7–Oct. 1. Next Lau, visit iexaminer.org.
12 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
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INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival
September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 13
Welcome to the 12th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival This year, we take on the theme “We Belong” and our country focus is Nepal. #WeBelong here regardless of whether we are third generation, second, first, or newly-arrived immigrants simply because this is where we live and experience our day-to-day lives. #WeBelong is reflected throughout this year’s festival programming. This is our counter to the hate rhetoric as well as the xenophobic attacks on South Asians Rita Meher and people of color in the country that have led to an unsettling fear among our communities. We hope to be part of the healing process when we come together, speak up, tell our own stories, munity by telling those stories through and celebrate our South Asian solidarity. the work of the filmmakers who will be Keeping the tradition of focusing on a part of this Festival. South Asian country through our festival, we picked Nepal this year. I am personally excited about this festival because I love Nepal, especially because of its wonderful people. This year through our stunning artwork, films, panels, and programs, we bring out the intricacies and diversity in the culture and people of Nepal. Last year, we celebrated Bangladesh and this year we focus on its neighboring country. It has been a couple of years since the tragic earthquake in Nepal; in that time, much change has occurred there. The country has gotten back on its feet, with tourism growing and new art flourishing, so the timing feels right for Tasveer to play a role in bringing an update to our Seattle com-
Founded as a grassroots art organization, Tasveer provides a platform for South Asian voices through films, workshops, monologues, talks, and panel discussions. The Festival aims to initiate a dialogue that bridges ideas, individuals, and communities by creating a deeper understanding of self in relation to the society. The organization employs films as a powerful tool to highlight marginalized communities, clarify misconceptions, and broaden perspectives, thereby leading to happier and healthier communities. Rita Meher Festival Director
TSAFF 2017 is almost here and you’re going to love what you see! We received a record number of film submissions this year—more than 180 features, shorts, and documentaries. Once the films were in, the programming committee set to work to create a spectacular program with over 50 films, representing 11 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet, United Kingdom, and the United States. Among our selections, you’ll find stories that will make you laugh, cry, and think, and move you to appreciate the world in new ways. We invite you to join us on a journey to Nepal, as we focus on this beautiful country and its people with 13 films. We’ll open the festival with Bijuli Machine, directed by Navin Awal, an optimistic, coming-of-age story of young engineering students putting their minds together to solve important problems in their community. #WeBelong, the theme of our festival, is not a question but a proud statement. As we began planning this year’s festival, our country was just starting to grapple with the aftermath of a very divisive election. Immigrants once again find their sense of belonging challenged, amid a climate of hate and fear. Tasveer was born during a similar wave of palpable hate after the attacks of 9/11. We knew we needed to create a platform to explore the experiences of immigrants, especially the struggle to belong. As part of TSAFF, we have a special program that brings four films telling the stories of different struggles and triumphs in the quest to belong. We know the program and discussion after will serve as a
much-needed vehicle to explore our personal and collective experiences as a community. We’ve taken the festival program to a new level this year thanks to partnerships with film and community organizations. Members of Trikone NW joined the programming committee to help select queer and other films. We’re extremely proud of our outstanding line-up of 10 LGBTQ films that include stories of love, empowerment, pride, and perseverance. We also partKiran Dhillon nered with the Himalayan International Film Festival to bring two films from Tibet for the first time at TSAFF. We also joined forces with the Chicago South Asian Film Festival to leverage the resources of two nonprofit film organizations with a similar focus and limited resources to bring more and better South Asian films and artists for Seattle and Chicago audiences! New this year, aspiring local film makers will have the opportunity to participate in an intensive two-day film making workshop with Nepali filmmaker Subarna Thapa. We’re especially excited about a first ever Virtual Reality Experience Booth at TSAFF, which will push the boundaries of traditional film programming. Continuing the TSAFF tradition, festival goers will be able rub elbows with over 20+ filmmakers and film cast members who will be in attendance. So get your VR headsets on and join us on this seven-city film adventure this October 6th–15th! Kiran Dhillon Director of Programming
SSAFF 2017 TEAM Festival Director: Rita Meher
Festival Publicist: Michelle Leyva
Programming Committee: Nalini Reddy, Sairam Sreedhara, Jayanika Festival Manager: Tameem Ansari Lawrence, Jayant Gupchup, Paramita Ghosh, Abhishek Kulkarni, Rajesh Marketing Lead: Nidhi Chaudhry, Korde, Rasanga Weerasinghe Sumathi Raghavan Marketing and Communications: Sponsorship Lead: Khenrab Palden Nidhi Chaudhry, Jayant Gupchup, Smeeta Hirani, Seyyada Burney, Symposium Lead: Alka Kurian, Keith Sumathi Raghavan Snodgrass, Maya Magarati, Pasang Sherpa, Nalini Iyer Website: Sumathi Raghavan, Tameem Ansari, Pooja Galgali, Devyani Charde Nepal Country Advisor: Maya Magarati Programming Director: Kiran Dhillon
Content Writers: Alka Kurian, Pasang Sherpa Festival Coordinators: Yolekha Mallier, Uzma Khan, Prachi Vora Guest Liaisons: Shannon Kohli, Shama Keskar Tasveer Board: Rita Meher (Co-founder and Executive Director, Tasveer), Farah Nousheen (Co-founder, Tasveer), Alka Kurian (Board President), Archana Soy, Debadutta Dash, Shahina Piyarali, Sheraz Malik, Uzma Khan, Prachi Vora (Incoming)
Artist Poulomi Basu’s photographic and Virtual Reality work about Nepali women and the tradition of chaupadi, or menstrual exile is on display at multiple venues throughout TSAFF2017. Blood Speaks: A Ritual of Exile is an immersive investigation into the causes and consequences of normalized violence against women perpetrated under the guise of tradition. Focused on the ritual of Chaupadi in Nepal, which strikes at the roots of patriarchy, viewers experience the domestic monthly exile suffered by Nepalese women during menstruation and following bleeding at childbirth. Blood Speaks is a a co-production between Nonny de la Peña’s Emblematic Group and JAPC. TASVEER presents a preview of the forthcoming project, which is due to be released in late 2017. Presented with the support of the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.
14 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival
Nepali Chalchitra 2017 By Pasang Yangjee Sherpa Co-director, Nepal Studies Initiative, University of Washington An old couple sits in their barely lit room in silence. The bitterness of winter, and the memories of the past haunt the couple in an abandoned village in Jumla. Quietly, the woman carves a wooden mask. The husband grudgingly follows. Dadyaa: The Woodpeckers of Rotha opens the stillness of life that is moving for its audience. The director duo Pooja Gurung and Bibhusan Basnet present a fictitious world that is uncannily real in remote Nepal. Memory, relationship, and abandonment, as themes, make the movie universal. The 12th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival has selected 11 films from Nepal to showcase the intricacies of life that exist full blown outside the narrow stereotype of a Himalayan nation-state. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake of April 25, 2015 serves as a reminder of deep human emotions—loss, sorrow, pain, and grief—that bind people together. Ganesh Pandey reveals treasured moments of hope and relief in the aftermath of the earthquake in his documentary, Bhagyale Bachekaharu (those saved by fate). This documentary, also titled Nepal Earthquake: Heroes, Survivors and Miracles, interviews the rescuers, the survivors, and their families. It shows how fate and faith pulled Nepalis out of despair.
Raj Kumar Rai shows that the earthquake was an incomprehensible event for children. In his film, Heaven is Black, three children describe to each other what they have heard about heaven. They decide one of them would die, go to heaven, and return to describe what it really is like. In 107.2, Rajeela Shrestha, the director, follows Saroj Dhungana of Radio Melamchi, a community-based FM station in Dubachaur, Sindhupalchowk. This movie, based on real events, shows the resilience of Radio Melamchi, which struggled to survive while serving their community. The other films in the festival show what life is like, when things fall in place, and normalcy resumes. Embarrassed by her prolapsed uterus, Maya hides her pain. From dawn to dusk, she tenaciously completes her chores fearing about the uncertainties that would befall her and her family. Sundare, Maya’s Husk Husband (Bhusko Logne), fails to be the husband she deserves. Ramakanta
and Tulasi, on the other hand, display that love tramples differences of caste, and of desires in Saayad Ashok’s The Knot (Gatho). In Brave Girl, Durga announces that the 13year old Bhumika is brave for leaving her village. It is not easy to leave the comfort of home for the unfamiliar life in the city, Durga implies. As the film ends, director Erin Galey, however, leaves her audience wondering for how long Bhumika could truly be brave. In a northern Nepali village, Kshemi beats all odds and takes care of her younger brother and her mother after her father passes away. She sacrifices her desires for her family, one task at a time, like a Dying Candle. Himalayan Refugee and The Shame depict life in Nepal in relation to the State. Who is free, and who is not? Who is recognized, and who is not? What happens when the State forgets you? Himalayan Refugee is a sobering documentary about Pakistani Ahmadi asylum seekers in Nepal who are waiting security clearance from the Nepali government so that they can be resettled according to United Nations High Commissioners for Refugees (UNHCR) procedures. The Shame is a fictional story of a man who
seeks to protect his dignity. The man is born into a life of bonded labor (Kamaiya), and has repeatedly fallen victim to career politicians’ false hopes of granting land titles. His freedom has come at the cost of his livelihood. The film exposes his life of extreme poverty filled with nightmares and insults. The opening night of the festival features the 2016 film, Bijuli Machine (Electricity Machine). This film focuses on the curiosity and perseverance of Nepali youth despite the limitations to living a good life in the capital city. The 15–18 hours of electricity cuts everyday in Kathmandu sets the stage for this film, making it relatable to its Nepali audience. In the movie, two teenage friends set out to develop, as the title suggests, an electricity machine that converts sound energy into electricity. This science based plot has Nepali film enthusiasts calling it the first Nepali sci-fi. Writer and director Navin Awal’s experiment of Bijuli Machine injects science and innovation as a viable subject in the Nepali film industry, and thus pushes the limits of what is possible. This year’s Tasveer South Asia Film Festival presents stories—fictional and non-fictional, and short and long—from remote northern mountain villages to the hot southern plains to the bustling capital city of Nepal, and across the border to India, and from Pakistan.
The Big Sick is bold, pushes boundaries them as forever troubled, anxious, and crisis-ridden. Many in the South Asian audiences are disappointed with the film’s sexual politics that replicates that of the latest spate of TV dramas showing brown men going crazy over white women, leading to the erasure of brown women from the screen.
By Alka Kurian Tasveer Premiered at the Sundance festival in January 2017, bought by Amazon Studios for $12 million, hailed as best romantic comedy after Knocked Up, The Big Sick has generated an unprecedented level of media frenzy. And for good reason, given the film’s realism (it’s an autobiography), high production value, powerful acting, and political resonance in post-9/11 America. Cultural anxieties about sexual relationships outside race and religion have often framed the South Asian diasporic film and Television dramas: Mississippi Masala, Bhaji on the Beach, My Beautiful Laundrette, The Namesake, Master of None, Homecoming, and The Night Of. The readers will recall how the idea of ethno-communal “purity” caused the post-1947 rape and murder of thousands of Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh women, the exile of Asians from Uganda, and the post-colonial social disciplining and control of women across South Asia and its diaspora. The film is about a young Pakistani immigrant (played by Kumail Nanjiani) juggling tradition and his dreams for fitting into the millennial America: standup comedy instead of law, video games instead of religion, and marrying for love instead of arranged marriage. This delightful tour de force of a date movie takes a serious turn that provides ample drama of anxiety and angst. Part-time Uber driver and a wannabe stand-up comedian Nanjiani is terrified of talking about his love for Emily (played by Zoe
Compared to the Pakistani family, Emily’s mother is a feisty fighter: she searches on the net for the best treatment for her daughter, forces her husband to move their daughter to another hospital, and shouts down a racist Islamophobic heckler during one of Kumail’s stand-up comedy shows (the white woman coming to the rescue of a brown man!).
Kazan) to his conservative Muslim parents who are busy matchmaking for him with hopeful Pakistani girls. Emily, who is sick with a mysterious infection, is put into a medically-induced coma. Nanjiani and her parents wait in a hospital vigil. While this “dance of seduction” between the brown suitor and the white middle-age couple is charming, as is the nuanced unfolding of their characters, it is disappointing to see a unidimensional caricature of Nanjiani’s family: Frozen in their dining room, they fume at the disobedient Kumail, spouting a limited set of phrases around arranged marriages, the Quran, and mutton biriyani.
Emily’s father is an Ivy-league educated scientist, who, worn out by life’s challenges, shares his marital problems with Nanjiani. As the exceptionally talented comic, Kumail fits the stereotype of a non-white character trapped in vexing circumstances, trying to make other people (read white) happy, solving, in this case, Emily parents’ existential crisis.
However, with its bold and wholesome representation of a brown leading man at a time when South Asian characters are still marginalized in mainstream American cinema, the film pushes the boundaries. In the 2017 watershed year of the Oscars acclaimed to be the most diverse ever— with seven acting nominees from ethnic minority backgrounds, four best picture nominees about non-white stories, and the best picture win for Moonlight— Unlike in My Beautiful Laundrette symbolizes the essence of American and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, multicultural ethos and a perfect where the Pakistani characters are given “rejoinder to Trump’s travel ban.” a layered portrayal, The Big Sick shows
From Script to Screen, with Subarna Thapa OCTOBER 9-10 || 6PM-10PM || NORTHWEST FILM FORUM From Script to Screen, with Subarna Thapa is a two-day course intended for directors and screenwriters, and will take participants through the cinematic creative process, from the initial screenplay to the final product, allowing them to experience firsthand the various aspects of filmmaking. Cost: $150 Day 1: From an Idea to a Story Day 2: From a Story to a Script to the Screen For more information, and to register, visit tasveer.org/fromscript-to-screen.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival
OPENING NIGHT GALA
SUNDAY FEATURE: ARIFA
Friday, 10/6, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Seattle Art Museum, 1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
Saturday, 10/7, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
The Opening Night Gala of the 12th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival. Filmmakers present.
Arifa
Bijuli Machine
Directed by Sadia Saeed || 91 mins || UK/Pakistan || 2016
Directed by Navin Awal || 105 mins || Nepali || Nepal || 2016 Bijuli Machine is a social story of a problem in Nepal that causes frustration among Nepalese. The film revolves around two individuals’ senses of responsibility to take an action. With a focus on human curiosity and the pursuit of excellence, the film shows the power of thinking outside of the box, optimism, and perseverance against unfavorable odds. It is a pioneer science film made in Nepal, a third world country.
The Woodpeckers Of Rotha Directed by Pooja Gurung and Bibhusan Basnet || 16 mins || Nepali || Nepal || 2016 Atimaley and Devi’s village is haunted by memories. When a dear friend leaves the village without saying “goodbye”, the old couple faces a dilemma; to keep living with the memories or to leave the village for good? Reception to follow.
Saturday, 10/7, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Directed by Varun Tandon || 8 mins || English || India || 2016
Dribbling Dreams
Zaffar & Tudu Directed by Kavita Carneiro || 67 mins || English, Hindi || India, Afghanistan || 2016
international game. Tudu returns home to start a grassroots movement to bring Rugby to every Adivasi child. The challenge of bringing an unfamiliar sport to an atypical place brings out their distinct personalities. What unravels is a story of perseverance and self-discovery.
Makaan
Directed by Salik Ansari || 36 mins || Hindi || India || 2016 Zaffar, an Afghan-born Indian from Makaan is a story of a construction Kolkata and Tudu, a Santhal from West Bengal, chance upon Rugby, an worker’s family struggle. They go elite colonial game. It opens a world through ups and downs as they navigate of wider opportunities including a their daily lives puddled with economic scholarship to the UK. At the end of the and social hurdles. The narrative of academic term, they find themselves at the film juxtaposes similar situations. crossroads where they are faced with It expresses differences in the way questions of identity and belonging. of response through the perspectives They embark on parallel journeys of children and the elderly, where the to their native lands with the hope of children transform the hard reality. finding answers through Rugby. Zaffar In their games, leaves are turned into goes to Kabul to coach Afghanistan’s money and a 10 rupee note becomes a National Rugby team for its first butterfly.
Saturday, 10/7, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Tulasi Apa Directed by Amiya Ranjan Patnaik || 120 mins || India || 2017 Born and brought up in a tribal region of Odisha, ‘Padmashri’ Tulasi Munda did not allow the poverty, illiteracy and un-development of her locality to dishearten her, discourage her or dampen her spirit. She took a humble step to educate her fellow beings,
Arifa
namely her absentee, bootlegging father Hameed—evasiveness and commitment issues are everywhere. As she unpicks the issues she encounters in her life, helped in part by her counsellor Shabana (Shazia Mirza), Arifa will find herself growing up, and realising that things don’t always turn out as you might expect, in this striking, confident debut feature.
Saturday, 10/7, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Dribbling Dreams Dribbling Dreams is a short documentary about a rural basketball movement brewing in India and how sports are being used by a spirited individual to empower children coming from difficult backgrounds.
An off-kilter, darkly funny story of a young British-Pakistani woman navigating her way through life, Arifa is the insightful, original and authentic debut from filmmaker Sadia Saeed. Arifa (Shermin Hassan) is a woman still finding her way in the world. Unlucky in love, things scarcely seem to improve when she becomes entangled with mysterious ‘professional gamer’ Riccardo. Just like the other men in her life—
SHORTS—WINDOW INTO MY LIFE
YOUTH AND SPORTS
PRATHAM PRESENTS
September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 15
which grew into a huge movement. Be it urban-rural divide or conflict of mines-owner and workers or exploitation of the have-nots by the haves, Tulasi Munda protested each and every Tulasi Apa act of injustice and discrimination and turned the tide in favor of her fellow beings. The film encapsulates the essence of Tulasi Munda’s life. It enumerates her struggle and highlights her achievements.
Khidkee
Leeches
going people. They have a clandestine Directed by Rohan Kanawade || 40 rendezvous, practically every Saturday at mins || English, Hindi, Marathi || two, at a borrowed nest; or is it just that? India || 2017 The story explores the connection that Madhu is a middle-aged homemaker has formed between the two within and whose world currently revolves around despite the restrictions imposed by the taking care of her paralytic bed-ridden clandestine nature of the relationship. husband. Her only distraction is Ashween, a youngster, who lives in the opposite Leeches building and whom she can see through Directed by Payal Sethi || 27 mins || her living-room window. Ashween forms Urdu || India || 2016 his own perception about the middle-aged Raisa lives with her Ammi and three lady who also seems to be frequently gazing at him. What are the windows show- younger sisters in Hyderabad’s Old ing? Is there something happening beyond City. When Ammi promises her 13year old daughter, Zainab, in marriage the windows as well? to a foreign businessman, Raisa decides to save her little sister at any Shanivaar Ko Do Baje cost. Desperate to find a way out for Directed by Parimal Aloke || 33 mins Zainab, Raisa hatches a dangerous and || Hindi || India || 2016 improbable plan involving an archaic Shanivaar Ko Do Baje is the story of remedy that claims to restore a girl’s an extra marital affair between two office virginity.
SATURDAY FEATURE Saturday, 10/7, 9:00 pm - 11:30 pm Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Dying Candle Directed by Naresh Kumar KC || 127 mins || Nepali || Nepal || 2015 A brother and sister struggle to live a day-to-day life. This story, coming from Nepal’s higher Himalaya, has never been told on screen.
Heaven Is Black
Dying Candle
Earthquake in Nepal who lost their Directed by Raj Kumar Rai || 4 close ones, and they have this crazy idea about going to heaven and seeing where mins || Nepali || Nepal || 2015 they are. This journey takes them to a This film tells a story about three realization of something different. kids who are traumatized by recent
16 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
SCHEDULE Friday, 10/6 at 7:00 pm
Opening Night Gala at Seattle Art Museum (1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101)
BIJULI MACHINE 105min THE WOODPECKERS OF ROTHA 16min
Nepali Nepali
Saturday, 10/7 at 12:00 pm ARIFA
91min
8min 67min 36min
Pratham Presents at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) India 2017
120min
Saturday, 10/7 at 7:00 pm KHIDKEE SHANIVAAR KO DO BAJE LEECHES
Shorts—Window into my Life at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) English, Hindi, Marathi India 2017 Hindi India 2016 Urdu India 2016
40min 33min 27min
Saturday, 10/7 at 9:00 pm DYING CANDLE HEAVEN IS BLACK
127min 4min
Nepali Nepali
Saturday Feature at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) Nepal 2015 Nepal 2015
Sunday, 10/8 at 12:00 pm 3 BRAVES
95min
Sunday, 10/8 at 12:00 pm MY SON TENZIN SILENT DUSK
70min 35min
Himalayan Peaks—Movies from Tibet at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) Tibetan Tibet Tibetan Tibet 2016 Where Music Meets Politics at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) Assamese, English India 2016
94min
Sunday, 10/8 at 4:00 pm PINKY BEAUTY PARLOUR
A Murder Mystery from India at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) Hindi India 2017
127min
Monday, 10/9 at 1:00 pm BLOOD LEAVES ITS TRAIL
3 Braves at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) Pakistan 2015
Urdu
Sunday, 10/8 at 2:00 pm GUNS AND GUITARS
93min
Kashmiri
Memory in Kashmir at UW Bothell (18115 Campus Way NE, Bothell, WA 98011) India 2015
Monday, 10/9 to Tuesday 10/10, 6 pm–10 pm FROM SCRIPT TO SCREEN, WITH SUBARNA THAPA
Monday, 10/9 at 7:00 pm I AM BONNIE POSHIDA ESCAPING AGRA
45min 29min 23min
Bengali Urdu/English English
Tuesday, 10/10 at 11:00 am Panel I Panel II
11am-1pm 1pm-3pm
2016 2016
Youth and Sports at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) English India 2016 Afghanistan, India English, Hindi 2016 Hindi India 2016
Saturday, 10/7 at 4:00 pm TULASI APA
Nepal Nepal
Sunday Feature at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) Urdu/English UK/Pakistan 2016
Saturday, 10/7 at 2:00 pm DRIBBLING DREAMS ZAFFAR & TUDU MAKAAN
Buy Tickets at
Master Filmmaking Class at Northwest Film Forum 2-day course Cost: $150
LGBT Shorts at Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) India 2015 Pakistan India, USA
Boundaries and Belonging at UW South Asia Center (400 Thomson Hall, Seattle, WA 98195) Cultural Homogenization and Dissent in South Asia Decolonizing Sexuality in South Asia
Dates, times, and locations are subject to change. Visit tasveer.org for tickets and up-to-date information.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
SCHEDULE Tuesday, 10/10 at 4 pm NEPAL EARTHQUAKE 107.2MHZ
45min 5min
MAYA’S HUSK HUSBAND GAANTHO-THE KNOT
Marriages Unmasked at UW South Asia Center (400 Thomson Hall, Seattle, WA 98195) Nepali Nepal 2016 Nepali Nepal 2014
47min 10min
Friday, 10/13 at 6:00 pm SONATA
Centerpiece Gala at Regal Bella Bottega (Redmond, 8890 161st Ave NW) Hindi, English, Bengali India 2017
105min
Saturday, 10/14 at 12:00 pm MAPLE OUR TIME
47min 10min
Maple at Carco Theater (1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057) Canada 2017 USA 2017
English English
Saturday, 10/14 at 1:30 pm FROM THE LAND OF GANDHI HIMALAYAN REFUGEE CODE SWITCHED FIVE O’CLOCK SHADOW
48min 27min 15min 7min
English English/Urdu English English
Saturday, 10/14 at 4:00 pm IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK? 30min LADIES AND GENTLEWOMEN 45min NAKED WHEELS 30min
SAAWAN
Nepali
17min 19min
English/Urdu Odiya
138min
15min 20min 15min
Sunday, 10/15 at 1:00 pm GHRAAN 27min SAHASI CHORI (BRAVE GIRL) 20min CHHORA 25min
Sunday, 10/15 at 4:00 pm DOBARA PHIR SE COLA
126min 13min
Pakistan/USA 2017 India 2017
Saturday Night Feature Film at Carco Theater (1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057) Urdu Pakistan 2017
Sunday, 10/15 at 11:30 am THE JOYOUS FARMER THE SHAME SISAK
Short Docs at Carco Theater (1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057) Nepal 2017
30min
Saturday, 10/14 at 8:00 pm
#WeBelong at Carco Theater (1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057) USA 2017 Nepal 2017 USA 2017 USA 2017
Naked Wheels at Carco Theater (1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057) Tamil/English India 2016 Tamil/English India 2016 Malayalam/English India 2016
Saturday, 10/14 at 6:30 pm THE ELDEST SON COTTON FIELDS FROM THE IVORY TOWER SAMBALPURI WEAVERS
Buy Tickets at
Gorkha Earthquake at UW South Asia Center Nepal Nepal
Nepali Nepali
Tuesday, 10/10 at 6:30 pm
September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 17
Nepali Silence
Shorts Special at Carco Theater (1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057) Sri Lanka 2017 Nepal 2017 India 2017
Chhora Chori at Carco Theater (1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057) Bengali Bangladesh Nepali Nepal French, Nepali Nepal 2014 Closing Night, Award Ceremony at Carco Theater (1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057) Urdu Pakistan 2016 English, Hindi India
Dates, times, and locations are subject to change. Visit tasveer.org for tickets and up-to-date information.
18 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival
3 Braves
FIRST FULL LENGTH ANIMATED MOVIE FROM PAKISTAN Sunday, 10/8, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
3 Braves Directed by Sharmeen ObaidChinoy || 95 mins || Urdu || Pakistan || 2015 Ten years has passed since that fateful day and Roshan Basti has been converted to Andher Basti (meaning town of darkness). Mangu has strengthened his iron grip over the town and has employed several thugs who help him to maintain his rule through extortion and terror. The townsfolk now live in fear of Mangu and his thugs and no one is brave enough to stand up to them. But all that is about to change. Armed with courage and super powers, twelveyear-old Saadi, Amna and Kamil must rise to the occasion and set out to save their town from the evils that plague it.
Silent Dusk
HIMALAYAN PEAKS— MOVIES FROM TIBET
Sunday, 10/8, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Silent Dusk Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Directed by Dandrin Dorje || 35 Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 min || Tibetan || Tibet || 2016
My Son Tenzin Directed by Tsultrim Dorjee and Tashi Wangchuk || 70 mins || Tibetan || Tibet || Year A monk from Tibet arrives in Oakland, California on an unlikely mission: to meet his son after more than twenty years of separation. The son, Tenzin, however, is untraceable. Alone and helpless, a stranger in a strange land, the monk, Rabga, finds rescue in another Tenzin, a Tibetan taxi driver, who offers help in locating his son. The two embark on a journey— chasing clues, connecting dots, putting together pieces—and, along the way, discover things about themselves and
A MURDER MYSTERY FROM INDIA Sunday, 10/8, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Grandpa Dorje, a quiet man with no family, lives in a care home. Grandma Lhamo’s arrival at the home brings a ray of light, but Grandma Lhamo is inconsolably sad. She remains silent until the day that Grandpa Dorje picks up his brush and begins to paint— Gam Rinpoche, the Holy Mountain. Awakened by curiosity, Lhamo begins to open up to those around her. Tending to her every day, Grandpa Dorje tells Lhamo stories and takes her on adventures. With the shadow of illness just around the corner, the pair share joy and faith as they pass the days of their twilight years against the stunning landscape of the Tibetan plateau.
Guns And Guitars
Guns And Guitars Sunday, 10/8, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 Directed by Bidyut || 94 mins || Assamese, English || India || 2016 The eight northeastern states connect with the rest of the country with a mere corridor of 21 km in breath at places, but shares more than 4,500 km of international borders with five different countries. Filmed as a travelogue, this musical quest brings to light the positive influence of music emanating from the youth living in this region, which is crippled by state and non state violence for the last half a century.
LGBT SHORTS Monday, 10/9, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122 Pinky Beauty Parlour
the form of an obsession with fair skin, especially with regards to women in Directed by Akshay Singh || 127mins India. Pinky Beauty Parlour is an engaging tale of the repercussions || Hindi || India || 2017 this obsession for fairer skin has on a The film depicts the predominant social human mind, families, and society in stigma which has taken deep roots in general.
Pinky Beauty Parlour
MEMORY IN KASHMIR Monday, 10/9, 1:00 pm University of Washington Bothell, 18115 Campus Way NE, Bothell, WA 98011
Blood Leaves its Trail Directed by Iffat Fatima || 93 mins || Kashmiri || India || 2015 Blood Leaves its Trail enters the vexed political scenario in Kashmir through the lives of families of the victims of enforced disappearances. The film is a non-sequential account of personal narratives and reminiscences ruptured by violence, undermined by erasure and over-ridden by official documents that challenge truth. Made over nine years, it explores memory as a mode of resistance, constantly confronting and morphing,
each other that put in sharp relief the inescapable realities of their common fate: as a people of imperiled identity and vanishing culture.
I am Bonnie Directed by Sourabh Kanti Dutta || 45 mins || Bengali || India || 2015 Born intersex and raised by poor, illiterate, and confused parents as a female child, Bandana went on to become one of the finest strikers in Indian woman’s I am Bonnie football in his short career. After failing a sex test, however, the media accused him deep insight into this hidden world. The of cheating. Officials forgot him soon. film examines sexuality and gender Friends disappeared. His career was over. identities in South Asia and discusses Bandana decided to undergo Sex Re- colonialism, religion, class, and the assignment Surgery (SRS) and became a influence of U.S. foreign policy. It also male, Bonnie. After his family disowned spotlights the role of the Pakistani him and he left home, he moved to a small media in the case of the Lahori serial town, and eventually fell in love and got killer of 2014 and human rights abuses married. Social backlash and professional of transgender men and women for conflicts repeatedly forced Bonnie and entertainment. his wife to relocate and eventually to go into hiding. It was there, in Darjeeling, Escaping Agra that the filmmakers were able to find him Directed by Pallavi Somusetty || 23 and hear his side of the story. mins || English || India, USA
Poshida Blood Leaves its Trail
from the personal to political, individual to collective. It looks at the ways in which those affected by violence have no choice but to remember.
After being held against their will in India when their gender and sexual Directed by Faizan Fiaz || 29 mins orientation is discovered, Naveen Bhat || Pakistan battles their parents in court and pieces Travelling across the country, Poshida their life back together. (Naveen’s delves into the history and modern pronouns are they/them). culture of LGBT Pakistan, providing
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival
UW SYMPOSIUM— BOUNDARIES AND BELONGINGS
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER panel discussions will bring students, professors, filmmakers, and the public together for a thoughtful and engaging conversation on these topics.
11:00 a.m.
Panel 1: Cultural Homogenization Tuesday, 10/10, 11:00 am - 4:00 and Dissent in South Asia: Panel pm UW South Asia Center, 400 participants will explore the ways in Thomson Hall, Seattle, WA 98109 which film, literature, popular music, TV dramas diversify South Theme: Boundaries and Belongings and Asian cultural production and resist Despite the shared cultural, monolithic forces of universalism, such political, and historical legacies, the as those perpetuated by Bollywood. eight nation-sates of South AsiaAfghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, 2:00 p.m. India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Panel 2: Decolonizing Sexuality and the Maldives-stand divided in South Asia: Panel participants will along national and intra-national discuss the ways in which a growing borders by means of conflicts, wars, number of protests led by young, nonand brutalization of caste, ethnic, mainstream feminists in South Asia religious, and gendered bodies. And are targeting the culture of misogyny yet, alternative imaginaries of South in the region using a global language of Asia by means of dialogue and dissent dissent, and initiating a ripple effect for through art (film, music, literature) a plethora of other movements in South demonstrate the ways in which we Asia against forces of internal/neoall belong despite the borders that colonialism. separate us from each other. Two
NEPAL EARTHQUAKE Tuesday, 10/10, 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm UW South Asia Center, 400 Thomson Hall, Seattle, WA 9819
Nepal Earthquake: Heroes, Survivors, and Miracles
Nepal Earthquake
Directed by Ganesh Panday || 45 roads were destroyed, and transportation mins || Nepali || Nepal || 2015 was halted, leaving the life of people comOn April 25, 2015, at 11:56 local time, pletely paralyzed. a devastating (7.8) earthquake struck Nepal with an epicenter in Barpak, a village Radio Melamchi 107.2 of Gorkha district (144 km northwest) Directed by Rajeela Shrestha || 5 of Kathmandu, the capital city of Nemins || Nepal || Nepali || 2015 pal. The earthquake left 9,000 dead and many more injured; hundreds of people Radio Melamchi 107.2 is a documentaare still missing, internally displaced, ry about Radio Melamchi, a community and homeless due to the deadly quake based FM station situated at Dubachaur, that destroyed more than half a million Sindhupalchowk. This documentary is all houses. On May 12, another powerful about how Radio Melamchi helped the earthquake struck Nepal with an epicen- people as a media after the massive earthter in Dolakha district (75 km east from quake hit Nepal on April 25, 2015, while Kathmandu), during which many historic also being victims themselves. buildings collapsed, temples were ruined,
CENTERPIECE GALA
MARRIAGES UNMASKED
Friday, 10/13, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Regal Bella Bottega Redmond, 8890 161st Avenue Northeast.
Tuesday, 10/10, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm UW South Asia Center, 400 Thomson Hall, Seattle, WA 9819
Aparna Sen will be in attendance.
Maya’s Husk Husband
Sonata
Directed by Jyoti Keshar Simha Thakuri || 47 mins || Nepali || Nepal || 2016 Maya’s Husk Husband
This docudrama captures the heartwrenching struggle of a married woman, Maya. After suffering through a number of miscarriages, two of her children survive past infancy. Maya’s life starts positively, progressing with her husband and family, but a sudden change in her health brings back a series of misfortunes.
approaching right before their eyes. During their seven and half hours of togetherness, they unfold their past and present. Their life in the metropolis, the changing facets of time, and their own disagreements are revealed. They fight over about every topic. They blame their age, they blame their circumstances. Most of the time, they look mismatched. But underneath there lies the bond, the Gaantho—The Knot love which united them once. They Directed by Saayad Ashok || 10 differ in caste and differ in their desires, mins || Nepali || Nepal || 2014 but when one is hurt, the love takes over. Ramakanta and Tulasi are on their Pashupati Rai and Kamal Mani Nepal way to shop for Dashain, a festival star in this humorous short.
MAPLE
Directed by Aparna Sen || 105 mins || English || India || 2017 Sonata is the psychological exploration of three unmarried women, namely Aruna Chaturvedi (professor), Dolon Sen (banker) and Subhadra Parekh (journalist) played by Aparna Sen, Shabana Azmi, and Lillete Dubey respectively. Set in the recent contemporary past, it is about three friends, their lives, ups and downs, the men in their lives, and a twist in the tale. It is a subtle, cosmopolitan, contemporary, film on women and the uncertainties of life, based in an urban setting.
Sonata
#WEBELONG Saturday, 10/14, 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm Carco Theater, 1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057
Saturday, 10/14, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Carco Theater, 1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057
From the Land of Gandhi
Maple Directed by Jasleen Kaur || 47 mins || English || Canada || 2017 Maple Batalia, a 19-year-old health sciences student, aspiring actress and model, was gunned down at the Simon Fraser University parking lot on September 28, 2011. Her death sparked outrage in the community. Maple tells the story of a girl whose passion for life was unparalleled, and who had an impact on everyone she encountered during her short life. The filmsheds light on prevalent social issues, such as gender inequality and domestic violence.
September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 19
Our Time Directed by Arpita Kumar || 11 mins || English || United States || 2017 Technology plays a significant role in the unfolding family rupture and dynamics between Maira and her mother. As Maira discovers fragmented recordings of her parents through the mobile devices around her home, she is forced to confront a reality that would prompt her to grow up.
From the Land of Gandhi
Directed by Prakash Wadhwa || 48 mins || English || United States || 2017
Code Switched
This film sheds light on this largely unattended story of one million dreams waiting for freedom. It also highlights the need for reforming America’s highskilled immigration at a time of intense globalization and the retirement of the baby boomers.
Directed by Karan Sunil || 15 mins || English || United States || 2017 A group of first-generation South Asians in Chicago face the pressures of living double lives between their families and society while chasing their own ambitions in love and the workplace.
Himalayan Refugee
Five o’Clock Shadow
Directed by Sangeeta Agrawal || 7 Directed by Nikhil Singh Rajputt || mins || English || United States || 2017 27 mins || English/Urdu || Nepal || 2017 An Indian-American mother’s worst This documentary short film focuses on asylum-seeking Pakistani Ahmadis fear rises to the surface when she is the victim of racial abuse. currently in Nepal.
20 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
NAKED WHEELS
SHORT DOCS
Saturday, 10/14, 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm Carco Theater, 1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057
Saturday, 10/14 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Carco Theater, 1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057
Is it Too Much to Ask?
The Eldest Son
Directed by Leena Manimekalai || 30 mins || Tamil/English || India || 2016 Is it Too Much to Ask? follows the journey of two friends, Smile and Glady, looking for a rental apartment in Chennai and depicts the obstacles and social stigma they encounter in not just looking for a home, but in being single, transgender women.Their identity renders them helpless before the casteridden, feudal and patriarchal landlords of the city who, by denying them their apartments, also deny their existence. They turn their anger and frustration into songs, dance, and plays, and their works of art continue to supply them with the hope to live.
Naked Wheels Directed by Rajesh James || 30 mins || Malayalam/English || India || 2016 The film is about the journey undertaken by a diverse group of
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival
Directed by Amy Benson || 30 mins || Nepali || Nepal || 2017
people comprising males, females, and transgenders across South India in a truck. The film seeks to explore many compelling thoughts on life, love, and gender.
Ladies and Gentlewomen Directed by Malini Jeevarathinam || 40 mins || Tamil/English || India || 2016 Ladies and Gentlewoman is an attempt to break the silence in the area of comprehending the dynamics of lesbianism. Probably one the first movies in the Tamil setting, this documentary tends to dialogue about the conspicuous silence about the body politics and relationship which is misspelled as social stigma.
A short documentary about Kumar The Eldest Son Darnal, a young Nepali man who goes to Malaysia as a migrant laborer. The academic filmmaker from the University film is an intimate look at the financial of Washington and his proposed solutions. and emotional toll this risk takes on him as well as on his whole family. Sambalpuri Weavers
Cotton Fields from the Ivory Tower
Directed by Abhinash Pradhan || 19 mins || Oriya || India || 2017
Directed by Faisal Hossain || 17 A film about the struggle of the mins || English/Urdu || Pakistan/ Sambalpuri weavers. This unique United States || 2017 art has been proudly passed to the The lives of two struggling Pakistani generations of Western Odisha for farmers are juxtaposed against that of an generations producing ‘ikat’ fabrics.
CHHORA CHORI Sunday, 10/15, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Carco Theater, 1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057
Ghraan
SATURDAY NIGHT FEATURE FILM Saturday, 10/14, 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm Carco Theater, 1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057
Saawan Directed by Farhan Alam || 138 mins || Urdu/English || Pakistan || 2017 Sawaan is a 9-year-old Baluchistani boy, stricken by polio in Pakistan. Rejected by his father, hated by society, and harassed by his peers, he is left behind in his village as the residents are forced to vacate the valley where they live. But he relies on the memories of
Saawan
his mother and begins a journey into the city. Saawan achieves self-rehabilitation, befriends a spirt living in the mountains, and meet his new best friend, a threelegged dog. He then encounters kidnappers from whom he rescues four kids. While on his trip, he is followed by the kidnapper, with his father and a journalist tracing his steps in search of him. As he is close to finishing his journey the kidnapper attacks, killing 40 people and injuring Sawaan.
SHORTS SPECIAL
Brave Girl
Directed by Kamrul Ahsan || 27 not what she imagined and that her mins || Bengali || Bangladesh || 2016 friend, Krishna (Jeewan Adhikary), is Ghraan (The Smell) is a story as keeping a secret that may change her well as an essence of personal reality life forever. portrayed through images. One day, stuck in traffic, Ahkam takes an Chhora unusual road that eventually connects Directed by Subarna Thapa || 25 to his childhood memory. mins || French, Nepali || Nepal || 2014
Sahasi Chori (Brave Girl) Directed by Erin Galey || 20 mins || Nepali || Nepal || 2013 A curious and determined 13-yearold, Bhumika (Albina Dahal), leaves her Himalayan village for the first time, only to discover that the city is
CLOSING FEATURE, AWARDS & RECEPTION
Individuals born into a life of a bonded labor (kamaiya) never have a voice of their own. What happens when they suddenly Sunday, 10/15, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm find the freedom that they always wished Carco Theater, 1717 Maple Valley for? Such is the plight of one innocent Hwy, Renton, WA 98057 man, who is torn between the life of unpaid slavery that he has left and this The Joyous Farmer new existence where he is struggles to Directed by Hiran Balasuriya || 15 find his identity. mins || Sinhalese || Sri Lanka || 2017
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Carco Theater, 1717 Maple Valley Hwy, Renton, WA 98057
Ratnapala is an impoverished and Directed by Faraz Arif Ansari || 15 alcoholic farmer living in Sri Lanka’s dry zone. After an encounter with a mins || India || 2017 government official, he is prescribed an Set in the fast-paced environs of the experimental drug to sharpen his focus usually bustling Mumbai local train and drive. system, Sisak details a romance that develops slowly and intoxicatingly, nestled The Shame in the silences of the end-of-day train Directed by Sushan Prajapati || 20 journeys between two men. mins || Nepali || Nepal || 2017
Hammad, an architect, falls for Zainab the first time he sees her on a ferry–little does he know that ‘love at first sight’ has a lot more in store for him than he bargained for. What follows is the story of a defiant relationship tested by time and circumstances. The journey teaches Hammad and Zainab that romance does not guarantee happiness, that relationships require unexpected
Sisak
Krishna is allowed to leave prison in order to spend the Christmas holidays with his young son, Simon, and his wife, Irene. A few hours before his return to prison, Krishna realizes that what will keep him alive behind bars is the love of his son, as well as his wish to pass on to him their shared culture.
Mehreen Jabbar attendance.
in Dobara Phir Se
Dobara Phir Se
Directed by Mehreen Jabbar 126 sacrifices, and that love will find its own way if set free. mins || Urdu || Pakistan || 2016
Cola Directed by Abhay Raha || 13 mins || English, Hindi || India || 2017 A young man ventures out to perform the last rites of his mother, he finds himself in search of an elderly man, a conversation ensues once he finds the man and they realise their connection and become closer than ever before.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival
September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 21
TSAFF featured director statements Unless this fine is waved refugees can not be resettled in a foreign country by UNHCR. Whatever the political or theological backI never met Maple Batalia, but she lived ground of refugees it is hard to not empathise close by and was born on the exact same day with the current situation of this group. As a filmmaker it is especially important to present as me: March 4, 1992. unpopular opinion in a balanced but compasI remember the morning I found out that she sionate way. had been killed. I had opened my laptop and was scrolling through, only to find an article about the homicide that had occurred at SFU Leeches director Payal Sethi’s that night. Alone in my room, I remember statement: yelling “no!” at my laptop. Officially, India is a developing country, How does something like this happen? How but the reality of existence for the underbelly does a 19-year-old girl who would never hurt of the population that lives below the poverty a fly and had so much going for her, just be line is very much a third-world one. murdered? Leeches portrays the practice of contract I spent the next five years obsessively fol- marriages in communities who live in one of lowing the case, learning everything I pos- the fastest growing cities in India but are unsibly could. When I graduated with my film able to participate in any meaningful way in degree in 2016, I knew I wanted to do some- it’s economic boom. I came across this practhing that related to Maple’s case. I wanted to tice while living in the city two years ago, use my education and experience to figure out thereafter researching the facts through Shaa way to shed light on this issue and help in heen, an NGO that helps girls who run away any way I could. I contacted Maple’s sister, from such arrangements. Roseleen Batalia, and told her that I wanted On the cusp of destitution, desperate meato do a documentary about her sister. She was completely supportive of any initiative that sures are often the only ones available. The would raise awareness about the type of hor- system of “one-day-brides,” which is one such rendous violence that killed her sister, so I got measure, offers the fig leaf of religious sanction to a clear case of sexual slavery. Thus, to work. in Hyderabad’s old city, rich businessmen I want this documentary to tell Maple’s sto- prey on the virginity of underage girls in an ry, about who she truly was, and not just who archaic tradition that is still propagated under the media portrayed her to be. When talking the auspices of Sharia marriage laws. These to her best friends, they told me a story about men take brides for short periods, sometimes a girl who didn’t like attention, who was gen- just a night, with rates varying according to erous and kind, and would drop everything if the duration of the marriage. An intricate web she knew that someone needed her. I want to of opportunists facilitates this flesh trade, intell that girl’s story. cluding many clerics, who service clients with I want people to see the type of impact this a predilection for teenage-virgin brides. type of tragedy can have on not just family In the absence of records, it is impossible and friends of victims, but to the community to find out the extent of the practice, yet the around them. This type of violence cannot press stories of the individuals compelled me be tolerated. Maple was like a daughter to so to explore the ways in which young women many, she was like a sister, a friend; the list might react and rebel in these oppressive cirgoes on. It could have happened to any one cumstances. Raisa, the protagonist, represents of us, which is why we have to stand together the courage and spirit of a small percentage and make a stand for what’s right. #WeAr- of girls who refuse to accept these sham mareAllMaple riages as their fate. This film is for them.
Maple director Jasleen Kaur’s statement:
Himalayan Refugee director Nikhil Singh Rajputt’s statement: As a documentary filmmaker, immigrants and asylum seekers are the biggest subject in our political discourse. Religious persecution and sectarian violence have always contributed to exodus. There is a serious theological difference of opinion, especially in the interpretation of the Holy Quran and Hadith in light of Muslim sects other than Shias and Sunnis. Ahmaddiya is a 19th century Muslim sect originated in Punjab and has now migrated to 196 countries. Pakistan as a state is inflicted with sectarian violence. There is a history of sectarian violence, especially against the Ahmadis! But an asylum seeking Ahmadi seeking asylum in the poorest of country is fraught with hardships. In the current climate of scepticism it was important to present individual stories of refugees currently granted asylum by UNHCR Nepal along with relevant papers, newspaper cuttings, and photographs. The political instability of Nepal and the economic burden of asylum seekers in poor Nepal finds a global resonance. Skepticism over asylum seekers in light of Nepal’s history as a land used to target India by Islamic terrorists forms a backdrop for institutional apathy towards Pakistani Ahmadis. [The issue of] huge fines (often in millions) for overstaying on Visa in Nepal is discussed and we try to figure out a way to bypass this unique injustice in a legally accepted manner.
The story of The Joyous Farmer is influenced by the Russian writers of Soviet-era alternative fiction, like Andrey Platonov and Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky. These stories root themselves in the real world at first, but then unwind themselves from reality, materially and psychologically. The Joyous Farmer also deals with the complexities of intoxication and addiction. The film draws a parallel between the necessity of self-numbing in the so-called third world with the first world’s increasing dependence on designer pharmaceuticals to deal with the pressures of everyday life.
TSAFF staff picks for festival flicks and herd mindset. The movie makes you think every step of the way. I also enjoyed the use of black and white to represent the time related aspects of the narration. I found the movie simple, yet containing a powerful message that is very much applicable in today’s world.
Jayanika Lawrence’s picks: The Woodpeckers of Rotha: A great short film about a couple coping with a missed connection, spirits and memories. Naked Wheels: A documentary exploring life, love, and gender. The stories shared are amazing! Leeches: A short film about a relationship between two sisters and the tradition of one day contract marriages.
The Woodpeckers of Rotha director Pooja Gurung’s statement: Why create anything when everything ends as dust and grime? Is it for the sake of remembrance? Is it for the immortality of the subject or the “artist” itself? Or for the hope that our “work of art” will one day come alive and lift our souls from this mess of life? “Dadyaa” started out as an exercise to test these very themes around an old couple in the highlands of Jumla. But once again, life happened and the wonderful mess around it helped us as directors to draw parallels between our fictious world and the reality that exists in remote Nepal.
The Joyous Farmer director Hiran Balasuriya’s statement: When Anuk Arudpragasam (author of The Story of a Brief Marriage) told me about a short story he was writing, I was instantly interested by its mood and setting—something that was surreal and otherworldly, but rooted in the barren farmlands of the Sri Lankan south. This story is set in the harsh and often fatal world of Sri Lankan farmers. In the 1990s, the Sri Lankan suicide rate doubled the global average, and most of the people taking their own lives were farmers receiving little to no help from the government. Unable to feed their families, many farmers in Sri Lanka turn to alcohol as a means of dulling the sharp misery of their poverty.
Visually, I looked to films that are firmly based in reality but maintain a dream-like quality at the same time. Specifically, I looked to the 1971 Australian film Wake in Fright. Its portrayal of the Australian outback’s scorched earth and poverty-stricken communities served as visual inspiration for The Joyous Farmer. ... The film is primarily driven by a visceral, physical performance by rising star Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke, couched beautifully by the accomplished cinematography of Dino Dimopoulos. ... I am lucky and feel blessed to have worked with these artists on my first short film.
Rishabh McIntosh’s picks (10yr old): The Woodpeckers of Rohta: This is the coolest movie I have seen. It is interesting to see how a movie can mirror such emotions. They made an ordinary film into an extraordinary one just like how they took the clay and turned it into faces. This movie is the definition of awesomeness. 3 Brave: It is a fun film to watch. It is about three kids who get super powers and kick bad guys’ butts. The movie is very entertaining but the plot could be more creative. Makaan: This movie is the perfect example of struggles of india. I like how it captures of kids and adults at the same time. Mostly I like this movie because at the end there is a kid dancing!
Jayant Gupchup’s picks: Khidkee: This film is very simple and realistic. It is about everyday situations where we are too quick to judge people based on partial facts. It does a wonderful job of depicting how we live in in our own bubble and echo chambers. The topic is very relevant for our current pace of life, and it was one of my favorite films from TSAFF 2017. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Shanivaar ko do baje: Its a simple story about two people meeting each other’s emotional and physical needs. Society looks down on their approach, but for these two people, every moment they spend with one another is precious. If you like open ended dilemma, this one should be right up your alley! Obosheshot (At Last ...): This movie covers many aspects of superstition
Sairam Sreedhara’s LGBTQ picks: Maccher Jhol: A subtle, imaginative, and articulate narrative about being gay. The acknowledgement of how important family is, over a simple dinner ritual, makes this a powerful animated short. Naked wheels: A candid documentary about the journey of three people—transgender and cisgender— navigating class, gender, and prejudice, in an unaccommodating world. If you want to hear the unheard voice of people questioning norms, you should see this.
22 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
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September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 23
Making pictures of the missing By Fred Wong IE Contributor In Zhi Lin: In Search of the Lost History of Chinese Migrants and the Transcontinental Railroads at the Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) now through February 18, 2018, internationally acclaimed artist Zhi Lin invites us to look at neglected history: the history of tens of thousands of Chinese men who did backbreaking work to build the Transcontinental Railroad in the West, and the thousands who died. “They are rarely recognized in American history and this absence is an animating force in Lin’s work,” TAM said in a statement. Anti-Chinese racism persisted during and for decades after the railroad construction, even leaving an ugly stain in Tacoma’s history. Lin’s art takes us on a journey of discovery of this history. Lin recalls a moment in 2001, while driving through Wyoming and Utah, passing a train. It triggered Lin’s memory of a book about Chinese migrants he had read as a teen in China. That spark has led him to immerse himself into finding out about these Chinese migrants, and imagining their circumstances. He has absorbed into his mind and heart the loss and pain they felt. Then through his art, Lin creates a vehicle for us to imagine them. In 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed, when the rail from the East met the rail from the West. A tremendous celebration took place at the site, and all through the nation. We know the event from a famous A. J. Russell photograph. The Chinese who laid the last tracks to consummate the marriage of the rails were excluded on purpose from the photograph. Each year, this marriage is re-enacted based on Russell’s photograph. Zhi Lin has attended several re-enactments, and created a monumental video and sound installation, Chinaman’s Chance on Promontory Summit: Golden Spike Celebration, 12:30 pm, 10th May 1869. Lin imagines where the excluded Chinese might have stood at the marriage, and films his video from “back stage.” From this odd
“back stage” vintage point, we realize that the Russell photo only shows one “staged” moment and place, and innumerable other unseen moments and spaces are just as historical. Placed in front of the video screen are piles of ballasts, with hundreds of them inscribed with names of Chinese workers. Remarkably, a few hundred names may be the only historical information we have of individual Chinese migrants out of the tens of thousands. In the exhibit, we also see five large abstract paintings, Snowstorm…, May Sky…, Sunset…, Constellations…, Elev. 2,425 ft…They are large to envelope us and our senses. We see ghostly traces of Chinese migrants. Like their history fading into memory, their traces / imprints seem to dissolve into the landscape: the snow, the stars, the sunsets. We imagine the Chinese railroad workers enveloped by the forces and beauty of nature, while they also experienced dangerous work, broken dreams, and the indignity of being treated as second class people. Lin has traveled to many of the remote sites where the transcontinental railway was built, in the hot summers and icy winters, to feel a fraction of what the Chinese workers felt. He’s also traveled to places where the Chinese lived after the railroad was completed, and continued to face anti-Chinese racism. He’s made many sketches in pale ink of these places as they appear now. He names this series of sketches “Invisible and Unwelcomed People.” He also adds field notes, like a 19th century scientist, about the places and their historical relevance. Looking at the sketches, we wonder if the Chinese ever did similar sketches of their surroundings over a hundred years ago, as personal mementos. Looking at the sketches, we realize how ordinary these places appear now. There is nothing to remind us of the Chinese that lived and worked there. For Lin to sketch these places and for us to look at them are like a meditation of what is missing. When we look at these perfectly ordinary places, we share the artist’s feeling of loss, of wondering why there are no traces of the extraordinary things that happened. And when we read his
Zhi Lin’s “Chinaman’s Chance” on Promontory Summit: Golden Spike Celebration, 12:30 pm, 10th May 1869, 2014. HD video projection and painted granite ballast with a surround sound environment. • Courtesy of the artist and Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Seattle
field notes, we share the artist’s discovery of a slice of neglected history. His writing is so small that we have to strain to read it, to experience in a small way how some things of the past are very hard to dig up. In the painting, The Intersection before the Bridge Crossing Bitter Creek, we quote from Lin’s notes, “On September 2, 1885, from here, a mob of hundreds of white miners armed with guns, hatchets, clubs, and knives marched, shouted anti-Chinese slogans, and crossed Bitter Creek toward Chinatown— leaving a bloody page in American history … .” Throughout the railroad construction, and after, the Chinese were “Invisible and Unwelcomed People,” and when there was a U.S. economic depression in the 1870s, the Chinese were scapegoated, culminating in the “Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The federal act barred ethnic Chinese from migrating to the United States. Such laws encouraged acts of violence and vigilantism against the Chinese migrants already living here, including the forced expulsion of Chinese people from Tacoma in 1885. The Act was not repealed until 1943,” according to TAM. Lin’s work about the anti-Chinese fervor in Tacoma brings the subject close to home. On November 3, 1885, hundreds of armed white residents, led by the Tacoma 27 which includ-
ed the Mayor, forcibly expelled 200 Chinese residents, confiscated and burned their homes and businesses. They were marched eight miles to the Lake View railroad station, to be shipped out of town. Lin makes sure to call this act what it is—ethnic cleansing. We are privileged to see some of Lin’s working process, including how he overlays his research onto (copies of) historical maps and documents. Along with research, Lin also wants to feel the “expulsion.” He chooses a cold day to walk some of these eight miles of the march. Thus immersing himself mind and heart, he creates a deeply felt masterpiece, On November 3rd along Pacific Avenue in Tacoma. This long narrative scroll is crafted in the tradition of Chinese and Japanese visual storytelling. It is to be viewed from right to left, moving the viewer in space and time. Somehow it is fitting that we get to experience the scroll in an unfinished state. Since we know so little about the 200 Chinese residents, we only get to see drawings of their outlines in black, superimposed on the present day Pacific Avenue. Using the present day familiar street-scape is, perhaps, Lin’s way of orienting us to the horror that happened one cold Tuesday a long time ago. And to point out how present-day Tacoma is partly built and shaped by these faceless people. It is a testament to our freedom, our openmindedness, our community strength, that the Tacoma Art Museum is empowered to present an exhibit of a Chinese American artist about an ugly slice of history even as it touches so close to home. For Asian Americans, this exhibit will touch us in a deep way. Indeed, my mind and heart were opened by Lin’s work. Let’s end with Zhi Lin’s reason for creating these art pieces, “In the midst of the current anti-immigrant environment, it is not very hard for anyone to imagine these tragic events. Yesterday’s Chinese migrants are today’s people from our southern border. I use the contradictions represented in the artwork to call to mind our responsibilities to history and to refute the ignorance and cruelty of our society and of ourselves.”
Stephanie Han’s Swimming in Hong Kong is a thoughtful portrayal of connections By Joshua Talosig IE Contributor Stephanie Han’s Swimming in Hong Kong begins with a short story that’s aptly titled “Invisible.” In it, a Korean-American journalist sits in a late-night Hong Kong bar, taking note of all that she sees around her. She sees people of differing races, nations, and motivations in the room she spends her leisure in. She’s perceptive, she feels slightly out of place, she’s both in and out of her element here. Rendered invisible, she blends in with the crowd, but stands out as well. Such feelings are revisited again and again in this collection of short stories, which center around the experiences of those who live in (and travel between) Korea, Hong Kong, and the United States. Han explores many different perspectives throughout the 10 stories she’s curated here, yet a clear voice and message always shines through each one.
many people live. For example, one underlying theme found in the stories is that of generational difference. A Korean American college student in “The Body Politic, 1982” hides her fervor for activism from her immigrant parents, knowing they won’t take it well. Meanwhile, in “Languages,” a Korean teacher in her early 30s is under immense pressure from her mother to marry. These conflicts, which inhibit connections and shape life choices, are treated with the proper weight that such topics deserve.
Still, the tone of most stories is that of a bittersweet recollection, as if the various protagonists are aware that their singular story is part of a much larger web of intertwining human relationships. Historical, political, and social forces like immigration laws, colonization, war, and One of the book’s biggest strengths is assimilation are all backdrops to these Han’s ability to clearly showcase the dif- personal tales. They’re never the focus ferences and similarities between how point, but it’s clear to the reader how
these characters’ lives are tremendously influenced by all that has occurred before them. Han’s choices of characters to focus on—including a girl making friends on a U.S. military base in Korea, or a pair of poverty-stricken elderly women in Hong Kong—demonstrate that well. Notably, nine of the 10 stories focus on characters who are women. Swimming in Hong Kong provides a great look at the magnitude of differences and parallels between women of the Korean diaspora. Age, birthplace, profession, values, and relations to family, friends, and lovers are all explored in a full spectrum of detail. “It’s not easy to become American,” notes nail technician Hana in the beautifully introspective “Canyon.” She loves traveling, but has settled in America after living through a personal scandal in Korea. “I am living my American dream,” she notes, but to what cost? And what does a goal like this mean to different people?
The last story, which the novel takes its name from, follows two different protagonists, Froggy and Ruth. Froggy is the only male narrator in the book, while Ruth is the only black narrator. As they briefly connect over their shared hobby—recreational swimming—they each undergo their own individual struggles. Froggy ruminates on his son, who he loves and is frustrated with in equal measure. Ruth, on the other hand, is an expatriate who is ready to leave Hong Kong behind and start again once more. This final story sums up the novel’s core message quite well. With regards to our many differences, people all over the world form and break and reform relationships with each other at a rate beyond which we can fathom. Race, identity, culture, and history play an invaluable part in making these connections happen. Swimming in Hong Kong understands this nuance well. Han’s detailed and thoughtful portrayals of such nuance makes this collection well worth a read.
24 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
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Modern Slave tells a cross-cultural story of sweatshop labor By Roxanne Ray IE Contributor In September, ACT Theatre and eSe Teatro are teaming up to present the work of four Latino playwrights, and theater professionals from the Asian American community are joining in the project. ACT’s initiative to present new work is called The Construction Zone, and on September 15, Elaine Romero’s play, Modern Slave, will receive a staged reading. Directed by Kathy Hsieh, this reading has the potential to develop into a full production during ACT’s 2018 season. Hsieh is enthusiastic about this opportunity. “The premise of the play intrigued me,” she said. “A Latinx woman finds a note in her pocket and imagines the life of the person who wrote it. It’s what Andrea, the main character, imagines might be true that leads her on her adventure traveling all the way to China.” It’s this setting that drew eSe Teatro’s Artistic Director Rose Cano to invite Hsieh to direct the play. “Even though the main protagonist is Latina,” Hsieh said, “most of the roles are Asian and part of the play is in China, so I can ensure the presentation of Chinese characters is more authentic.” Hsieh expects the rehearsal process to be illuminating. “Even projects that you think will be straightforward always take far more time than you might think,” she said. “I am looking forward to getting into the rehearsal room with the actors and seeing how that might surface new insights that might inspire the playwright.” In-person rehearsal with the actors will occur very close to the performance date,
Modern Slave opens September 15 at ACT Theater • Photo courtesy of ACT Theater
but Hsieh has already kicked off the preparation process with the playwright. “So far, Elaine and I have emailed back and forth and had a 90-minute conversation digging into the play, answering each other’s questions,” she said. “That’s been really helpful. Elaine will also come to town for some of the rehearsals because she really wants to do more rewrites to polish up Act 2.” But Hsieh finds more of interest in the play than just its setting. “I love plays that include the metaphysical realm, the world that happens in our heads,” Hsieh said. “If you think about it, all of life and our experiences are filtered through our minds.” These perceptions can help us learn and grow. “Especially after this last election,” Hsieh said, “I think there are a lot of people more aware of the inequity that exists in our country, much of which is based on race and immigration status, and far more people who are inspired to do something about that inequity.”
Hsieh hopes that Modern Slave offers a dramatic model for this kind of personal journey. “The main character in this play represents much of that impulse to do something to make a difference,” Hsieh said. “But because of her privilege, she has a lot of blind spots in her assumptions. And her relationships help inform her along the journey she takes. I like the fact that she isn’t perfect and has a lot to learn. That might help the audience see more of themselves in the play.” Hsieh hopes that the local Asian American community will attend all of the September performances in eSe Teatro’s Construction Zone project. “I haven’t had the opportunity to read the other scripts, but from what I know about the work of some of the playwrights, there are some universal parallels between the lived experiences of the Latinx and Asian American communities that transcend race,” she said. “We’re the two groups that are often seen
as the perpetual foreigners no matter how many generations we’ve been in America.” But the two communities have even more in common. “Culturally, family always plays a significant role in our lives,” Hsieh said. “I think the more that communities of color gain solidarity with each other across our shared experiences, the stronger all of our communities will be. And much of that community building comes from sharing our stories with each other. Theater is such a great way to do that.” Modern Slave’s audience should also expect some surprises. “Theater is incredibly collaborative,” Hsieh said. “That’s what makes it exciting. The script we start rehearsals with might not be what ends up getting shared with the audience.” ‘Modern Slave’ will be presented on September 15 at ACT Theater, at 700 Union Street, Seattle.
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September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 25
Chef Ming Tsai: Cooking outside the wok Manhattan Bank) seemed destined to follow the engineering path of his father and brother. However, on a summer break in A revolution has transformed the Asian fine Paris, before his senior year, he picked up dining restaurant and food fare experience the fork in the road and changed direcacross the nation. One of the leaders in tions. this extraordinary plated metamorphosis transforming consumer expectations has Et Voilá! been celebrated chef and restaurant owner The summer quarter, spent at the Cordon Ming Tsai, one of the foremost interpreters Bleu and working at a French bakery, was of East-West cuisine in America today. a mind-altering experience. He decided If you’ve never heard of Ming Tsai then you to “bag engineering and become a cook.” aren’t a real Asian foodie. Maybe not even a At Yale, he completed his final year and foodie. The chef-owner of award winning graduated with a mechanical engineering (James Beard, Boston Magazine, Silver degree, after which he returned to Paris, Plate, Culinary Hall of Fame) restaurants where his high school French came in (Blue Ginger, Blue Dragon, and soon to open handy. He trained under renowned pastry ChowStirs), Tsai has garnered his share of chef Pierre Hermé at acclaimed gourmet glowing accolades. Awards have become a food and delicatessen establishment Faulifestyle norm (Esquire Magazine Chef of chon, and worked as a sous-chef (second the Year, James Beard Foundation Best Chef in command in a kitchen, following the Northeast, Restaurants and Institutions’ head chef) at Natacha, a bistro in MontparIvy, Daytime Emmy, Telly, Massachusetts nasse serving fine French cuisine. He later Restaurant Association Restauranteur of worked in Osaka with sushi master, Kothe Year). A television personality (Food bayashi. “I knew that being around food Network’s East Meets West, Fine Living would make me happy, and when I went to Network’s Ming’s Quest and PBS Create Paris, I realized I could actually do it as a TV’s Simply Ming), Tsai has also appeared career. I became a chef because I love to on People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful cook. It’s the coolest job I can think of.” People list. Returning to the United States, he enBorn in Newport Beach, California, in rolled in graduate school at Cornell Uni1964, Ming-Hao Tsai is a first-generation versity, earning an M.A. in hotel adminisChinese American who was raised in Dayton, tration and hospitality marketing in 1989. Ohio, along with his older brother, Ming-Hsi From there he held multiple positions in the Tsai. His father Stephen was an engineer. His front and back of the house at various esmother Iris owned and operated the family tablishments around the country, including restaurant, Mandarin Kitchen, which Tsai sous-chef at Silks, in the Mandarin Orirecalls provided his first experience in a true ental Hotel in San Francisco (fine dining kitchen where he assisted with the cooking multicultural/Asian fusion dishes) and the while growing up. Fried rice was a favorite Santacafé in Santa Fe (American cuisine early dish he whipped up then, and does so with a Southwestern twist). now for his two sons, David (17) and Henry Although he has been to China, “I never (15), and wife Polly. Food was an integral worked in China,” said Tsai, but “I spent part of his life from an early age. His first a lot of time in kitchens in Taiwan. At age question on returning home from school was, 14, I started working in my mom’s restau“What’s for dinner?” According to Tsai, the rant, cooking traditional Chinese food, and sound of food cooking was ‘music’ to his watching my grandparents cook.” They ears. Following a childhood of what must had immigrated from Taiwan after fleeing have been rhapsodic food episodes, at the China during the Cultural Revolution, then pudgy age of ten, he placed himself on a made their home in Dayton. “My favorite restricted diet. meal was always Fridays at 5 p.m. with my brother, parents, Ye Ye and Nai Nai (my Great Leaps Forward grandparents).” Asia, according to Tsai, At age 15, Tsai headed east, joining his “still has the best food in the world. Chibrother to board at Phillips Academy in nese [cuisine], of course, being the best!” Andover, Massachusetts. A now co-ed university-prep school 25 miles north of Bos- Squash: It’s Not What’s for Dinner ton, its classes have been littered with noTsai became a squash player while at table alumni, including: George H., George Yale, where he took up the game and was W. and Jeb Bush, JFK, Jr., Jack Lemmon, named All-Ivy League player in 1986. Humphrey Bogart, and Frank Stella. It was during his senior year when Tsai After graduating, he attended Yale, the walked into the squash office and spotted private Ivy League research university in a girl who captured his attention. She New Haven, Connecticut, where his ma- was Polly Talbott—the younger sister of ternal grandparents taught Chinese, and his Yale squash coach, David Talbott and where his paternal grandfather, as well as squash legend Mark Talbott, former World his father, had graduated. During the first Number One Hardball Squash Player. The world war, his grandfather came to Ameri- Talbott family is also from Dayton, but the ca in 1918 as part of Yale’s Christian Min- Tsais and Talbotts had never connected istries in China program. After securing there. Polly was studying nursing and his degree in economics at Yale, where he Chinese at the University of Colorado shoveled coal into the school’s furnace at 5 at Boulder at the time. Impressed, Tsai a.m. to earn money, he returned to China determined that he was going to marry and worked as a comptroller at one of its her. It took about a decade before the two, top schools, Yenching University (now Pe- both born a day apart in the year of the king University). Thirty years later, Tsai’s dragon, married in 1996. Tsai claims it was father Stephen immigrated to the U.S. to “through her stomach” that he sealed the earn an engineering degree at Yale. He re- deal. mained in gum shan (Gold Mountain: the Squash also played an important part Chinese name for the United States where in his life when, after college graduation, the precious metal was discovered in 1848). he worked in Paris. Because he had no Tsai, a member of the Phi chapter of the working papers, he couldn’t be paid. So, Delta Kappa Epsilon (Deke) fraternity at he supported himself in France by entering Yale (past members included founders of professional squash tournaments on the Time Magazine, FedEx, Xerox, Procter weekends, where he became a regular. and Gamble, Southwest Airlines, Chase Training in the mornings and playing in French pro-tournaments on the weekends,
By Cynthia Rekdal IE Contributor
Ming Tsai. • Photo courtesy of Breville USA
he ended up as a Top Ten player in France. According to Tsai, he was grateful that the French were better at cooking squash than playing it. To this day, the game continues to be a sport he enjoys. He is also active in the Boston SquashBusters program that teaches and mentors the game to urban youth.
Roses Are Red, Restaurants Are Blue As a result of being fired twice as a restaurant chef, “it eventually led my wife to say, ‘You can’t keep becoming chef of other people and getting fired because of your ego and their ego’” Motivated by the desire to be a chef under his own control, to create the best food possible, he faced the reality of his situation. Tsai raised a quarter of a million dollars from 10 investors, and in 1998 opened his first restaurant: Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Tsai focused on fusion cuisine: Combining elements of contemporary European and Asian techniques and ingredients. The upscale menu included finger lickin’ appetizers: Five-spice duck sausage pizza; Foie gras and morel shu mai, and inventive entreés: Saké-miso marinated sablefish with wasabi oil, soylime syrup and vegetarian soba noodle sushi; and Garlic-black pepper lobster with lemongrass fried rice and pea tendril salad with tamari-ginger vinaigrette. Leap years ahead of ubiquitous chow mein, foo young and neon-red sweet-andsours, Tsai’s creations inspired awe with a healthy dose of shock to its predecessors at the wok.
It was the “best thing I ever did. Blue Ginger put me on the map,” he said. “I was young, I had a good business plan with a solid, smart cash flow built into it.” The year it opened, Tsai was named Chef of the Year by Esquire Magazine; Blue Ginger was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as Best New Restaurant. And the Zagat Review crowed: “Celeb chef Ming Tsai helms this fabulous Wellesley classic, turning out beautifully presented upscale Asian fusion from an open kitchen with Zen-like serenity.” It ended with, “Don’t forget to bring a full wallet for the ‘high-end’ experience.” In 2009 Tsai received an Ivy Award from trade publication Restaurants and Institutions, for consistent achievement in meeting the highest standards for food, hospitality and service. Blue Ginger was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2013, Blue Dragon, a small plate, casual tapas-style gastropub opened in Boston’s seaport district. “Blue Dragon was an awesome, fantastic opportunity, a really good smart business deal for me,” said Tsai. “I and my business partner, a commercial realtor, knew it would be an incredible business opportunity because it’s in a great up-and-coming area—GE just moved into their new world headquarters a block away and Amazon was moving next door.” Blue Dragon combined pan-Asian and New England influences in its offerings that continued to deliver Tsai’s mesmerizing, mouth-watering creations on its haute cuisine pub menu: Soy pickled deviled egg with taro nest; Tamarind-glazed lamb lollipops with glass noodle salad; Banh mi baguette with roast pork, mortadella, spicy aïoli and house pâté. Blue became a defining feature in the names of his restaurants. “Blue is my favorite color,” Tsai enthused, “It’s the color of Andover and Yale, and it also denotes water—and seafood, which is my favorite thing to not only cook but also eat.” In June 2017, Tsai announced that he was closing Blue Ginger after 19 years. “Ending this chapter of my life is incredibly bittersweet,” he said. “I closed because I wanted to; I wanted to end on top, not because we had to close.” To read an expanded version of this article, visit www.iexaminer.org.
26 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
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Documenting activism in Vancouver’s Chinatown By Taylor McAvoy IE Contributor Standing among Chinese elders, Beverly Ho made her speech to a community of people from diverse backgrounds, histories, generations, and languages. She urged her city to bring communities together against rising gentrification in Vancouver’s Chinatown. “When I saw her standing there as a young person beside the seniors, I actually almost cried,” documentary filmmaker Eva Cohen said. “I thought it was really beautiful. They had colorful neon signs written in English and Chinese with their demands and what they wanted to see happen in the community for social housing and equality. I really felt this was something that other people would want to see.” Cohen’s film Paint it Red follows Ho, an organizer for Chinatown Concern Group (CCG) and other community activists as they fight against a major development plan, discrimination, gentrification, and for social equality.
A living history The documentary opens with Mandarin interpreter Mark Lee speaking about Vancouver’s Chinatown as an intergenerational cultural center where people work, play, and live. He says the community can work together to preserve it and urges them to not forget Chinatown as a place of living history. The CCG and the Chinatown Action Group (CAG) called on Vancouver City Council to reject a major development plan to build an apartment complex at 105 Keefer Street. The building would rise in the middle of Chinatown next to a historic monument for Chinese rail workers and WWII soldiers.
The design had only seven affordable housing units, or social housing units as they’re called in Canada. Social housing units are apartments meant to house people of low income, historically minority groups, immigrants, and refugees. Social housing in Vancouver is considered anything below market rate. Ho said this is a problem for those who can’t afford even that. She also said that developers usually only build to the minimum requirements of social housing. That’s not enough to help those in need, so the city needs to change those requirements, Ho said. “I think they should be more self-aware and see how they can be more involved in the community and less in gentrification and displacing vulnerable people who can’t afford to go anywhere else,” Ho said. Previous developers painted the building doors red to fit the look of the historic district. “The city is always concerned about preserving heritage in architecture but not the people and the living history so we get these really corny doors,” Ho said in the film. This was the driving concept behind the title of the film, Paint it Red. “A lot of Chinese people don’t really care if these modern buildings are red or not,” Cohen said. “If they can’t live in them it doesn’t matter. If you paint something red it doesn’t mean that it fits in with the community or that it helps any Chinese people.” “Heritage is just not something I can learn from looking at pretty buildings in Chinatown,” Ho said. “It has to be that personal relationship.” The city of Vancouver passed the Historic Area Height Review (HAHR) six years ago, which promised that Chinatown’s upzoning
Beverly Ho
would be used to build more social housing units. Ho says she hasn’t seen that happen in a way that would help the community. The burden largely falls on seniors with fixed incomes, pensions, or welfare. Many seniors are supported by Old Age Security (OAS), a system based on work history. That means seniors who came to Canada and worked under the table as laborers don’t qualify. Cohen addresses the prevalent misperceptions about Chinese people not working after immigrating to Canada. “After I settled down I took whatever job I could,” Xing Jun Ma, or Ma Tai, said in the film. “I don’t mind hard work. I don’t want the government to support me. I did everything myself, I was already 53.” Stories like Ma Tia’s are important to Ho, who says developments like 105 Keefer rise property values and rent and pushes out the families who have lived in Chinatown for generations. “It’s like a slap in the face if they put up this building that nobody in the community would be able to live and is actively working to replace them,” Cohen said. Local cultural food centers have also been forced to leave. The latest Chinatown food security report from the Hua Foundation shows over 50 percent losses in Chinese cultural food centers. “We are quite concerned how rapidly the neighborhood is changing,” co-founder of the Hua Foundation Kevin Huang said. The Hua Foundation works with community youth on education, activism, and organization around Chinatown’s food economy. Huang says food is an important part of cultural preservation and wants to inspire others to act against gentrification. “Food is a part of a person’s identity. And Identity is linked to culture and a part of that is also your heritage,” he said.
Singing Cantonese The CCG’s members are predominantly women and seniors in the Chinatown community, many of whom don’t speak English and are not typically involved in community activism or politics. “Organizing involves a lot of interpersonal relationships,” Ho said. “The biggest victory is not just that 105 Keefer got rejected but that we’ve grown so much closer and that we’re more confident in ourselves as women of color. ... It was really beautiful to see them passionate and fired up speaking at public hearings and speaking to media.” Cohen described one scene in the documentary when Ho gathers some of the elders and they start singing and dancing together. “They were singing Cantonese and not describing what was going on just to use the
space for what they wanted to do,” she said. “Those sort of moments were like yeah, I love capturing this on my camera.” “My culture doesn’t need to be readily consumable by everybody else,” Mandarin Interpreter Mark Lee said. “That’s important and something that Beverly is really good at. She’s good at cultivating those kinds of moments in Chinatown.” Ho, the CCG, and other activist groups brought communities together in mass for a town hall style council meeting spanning over four days. More than one hundred people from a community of diverse backgrounds and even dialects and languages lined up to speak. And more than two hundred more people showed their support. Lee said dialect variations and the diversity of the community was a challenge for translation in the film and a continuing challenge for organizing movements. ”Despite all these challenges with communication and despite all these challenges with displacement, and a lot of these income disparities, we are still able to get our stories out there,” he said.
Close to home Like Seattle, Vancouver’s Chinatown is home to immigrants, refugees, and people with low incomes. The development represents one of many issues facing Vancouver’s Chinatown and are shared with other Chinatowns around the country, including Seattle’s. Issues like gentrification, social housing, equality, and food justice converge in Cohen’s documentary and are shared struggles with Seattle’s Chinatown International District. The city of Seattle just approved an upzone of the CID, which community members fear could contribute to gentrification. The CID is historically home to immigrants, refugees, and poorer communities, many who speak a limited amount of English. Rent in Seattle has become the fifth most expensive in the country and many fear the MHA rezoning will only add to the housing crisis. Mandatory Housing affordability requirements (MHA) mean that developers would have to designate parts of their building for affordable housing options or contribute to city funds for affordable housing.
Looking forward The CCG and CAG are now working to create an alternative to the Chinatown Economic Revitalization Action Plan. Or as the CGC calls it, the CRAP. The CCG and CAG say that the current plan doesn’t get at the heart of the issue and continues to gentrify and displace Chinese communities. Ho calls the plan undemocratic because it largely takes away the community’s say in rezoning and development projects. Ho said the solutions are in The People’s Vision. It advocates for community voices to be heard an actively involved in the district’s decision making process. The CCG are also working to help elders move who are being displaced by developments at Rodan Lodge. Cohen’s plans to submit the film for the Vancouver Asian Film Festival and other wide reaching film festivals for both community and broad audiences. She says the film is a niche subject that uncovers an uncomfortable truth but is an important story. “It’s important to document things like this because people have social amnesia and political amnesia,” she said. To view the trailer, visit youtu.be/tOnnx4VO6wE.
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September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 27
The easy and the hard of Harmless Like You which features shots of young girls from around New York. When she asks Lou what he thinks of her show, he tells her that they’re “too easy.” She pushes back, insisting, “It’s hard. It’s really, really hard.” The language of her resistance here gives us a glimpse into what is at stake in this refusal of softness and how the story explores the consequences of that refusal. The pairing of “easy” and “hard” suggests a sexual, tactile violence that animates the novel—to be easy means to yield to pressure, to be pliant and vulnerable, while to be hard means precisely the opposite, to be able to force others to change, often through harmful measures. Yuki’s only refuge from the fetishizing gaze that would cast her as “easy” and receptive to violence comes in the form of asserting her own ability to do harm, which she does in ways large and small throughout the story.
By Dandi Meng IE Contributor For the characters in Rowan Hisayo Buchanan’s debut novel, Harmless Like You, the only way to leave a mark is by doing harm. While there are certainly moments of explicit and dramatic violence in the novel, the book mostly unfolds through small, harmful acts that, strung together, tell a larger story about race, gender, and belonging that spans from the late 1960s to the present. The novel alternates between the perspectives of Yuki Oyama, a young aspiring artist living in New York in the 1960s and ’70s, and that of her son, Jay, whom she abandons when he is two years old. Jay’s narration begins in 2016 when he goes to Berlin in search of Yuki following the death of his father; Yuki’s begins when she is an awkward and insecure high schooler who is empowered by a new friend and the vague promise of exciting possibilities to stay in New York when her parents decide to move back to Japan. In the decades that follow, Yuki tries with varying degrees of commitment to break into the art world while drifting through a series of personal relationships that culminate in her decision to leave her son behind for a new life.
girls like you.” For white Americans of this era, one of the few reference points available for conceptualizing Asian women is the series of horrific images of the Vietnam War being transmitted through the news, and Yuki is caught in the middle of this imaginative lacuna. She is repeatedly characterized as small, vulnerable, and powerless, and when The phrase “harmless like you” comes she attempts to resist these tropes, she from something that one of Yuki’s lover, is often only able to do so at the expense Lou, says to her in reference to the of her own well-being. Vietnam War: “I think the cowards are Yuki poaches Lou’s comment when the ones over there killing harmless little naming her first photography exhibition,
For a story that is ostensibly about the abandonment of a child, the reunion of mother and son—which is first described in the prologue and taken up again towards the last quarter of the book—is deliberately underwhelming. Jay assures the reader early on in the novel that Yuki was “gone but not missing. ... Today everyone is online. I could drop a little orange man onto the street right outside the gallery that handled her work.” In Jay’s 2016, where this near-omniscience is almost mundane, not contacting Yuki is a deliberate choice, rather than the result of having insufficient information. There is, however, an odd disjuncture between this professed nonchalance and the novel’s painstakingly embellished prose. Despite their surface-level differences, the Jay and Yuki’s narration overlap tonally and stylistically in ways that belie the particularities of these characters. There are moments of stunning beauty and insight to be found in both characters’ ability to reminisce and wax poetic, but often, these moments seem to want to move the reader towards an epiphanic conclusion that the novel explicitly denies. Ultimately, Harmless Like You is most powerful when it trusts its characters to speak for themselves— freely, simply, easily.
Jay’s motivations are less clear. His sections are narrated in first-person (as opposed to Yuki’s more distant third-person) and are mostly spent trying to untangle the causes of his unhappy marriage and his apathy towards his newborn child. His acerbic commentary on the current state of the art world and the business of being racially and ethnically mixed in the 21st century are often spot-on, but because the details of his life are comparatively less Buchanan will be reading on Friday, fleshed out than Yuki’s, the connection September 8 at 7:00 p.m. at Hugo House between these comments and the emotional (1201 Columbia St.). and thematic arc of the novel remains murky.
Love and Other Consolation Prizes is an engaging romance set in Seattle’s early years By Antonia Dorn IE Contributor The opening scene of Jamie Ford’s novel Love and Other Consolation Prizes introduces Ernest, an old Chinese Caucasian man standing outside the gates of Seattle’s Second World Fair. He is wishing that his wife, who barely can remember who he is anymore, could be there revisiting as he had spent the first World’s Fair with her and another arm in arm during their youths. It leaves the weight of his sadness and loneliness, wondering how he ended up there alone and what memories he was holding on to. Ford, the New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and Songs of Willow Frost, encapsulates the reader by going back and forth between Ernest’s childhood in the early 1900s to the present year of 1962. He is still adjusting to the new lifestyle with his wife’s disease and the resurfacing memories he had circling around his life from his mother in China, to his life at the brothel, the Tenderloin, after he was raffled off at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 held in Seattle. Here, he fell in love with Maisie, the daughter of Madam Flora, who had everything that someone could want, and Fahn, a maid at the brothel who had nothing.
True, Miss Amber, Madam Flora, and Ernest’s children Juju and Hanny, all work to reveal yet another part of Ernest’s story and to establish the first place he considered home. There is also Mrs. Irvine, Mrs. Blackwell, and Louis Turnbull, all of whom end up having a lot of impact on Ernest both directly and passively. Through these characters, Ernest is seen in the light of radical acceptance, strength, and compassion. One can feel this attachment even without knowing. The emotions— the hope, the happiness, the sadness, and the pain, all reveal the truth behind the raffling Smaller characof a boy and the facts of society havters in the book also have a lasting ing everything, and everyone, for sale. impact throughout the novel. The secThis novel has the power to reach a ond scene of the book briefly identifies Ernest’s mother and sets up Ernest’s vast audience, from young adults to desire for a home and a family. All seniors, as there is much to experience the characters, including Professor in Love and Other Consolation The structure of the novel with each scene leaves the reader wanting to know all of what just happened, to stay in the moment for just a bit longer. But just as Ernest is torn between the past and the present, they follow him through these times. As the novel grows, so does Ernest’s character through changing settings. Ford’s ability to make the audience feel Ernest missing his wife and being able to love the woman he knew is amazing. It leaves the reader feeling like they personally know Ernest as they were there during his sensitive and vulnerable times.
Prizes. It is a romance built from the true historical event of a boy being raffled off at Seattle’s forgotten 1909 World’s Fair. The novel is a great way to engage with the history but also feel involved with the fictional characters Ford created through the realistic recreations of the times. The reader might find themselves wishing for a longer time with Ernest’s wife in her older age, but this adds to the desire to read more to understand her character from her past. One might wish the book continued in its end, but this leaves space to imagine what might happen next. With an understanding of Ernest and the characters in their present, the reader might even find themselves wanting to read the book again, instantly, just to reexperience them all. Overall, Jamie Ford did a wonderful job emotionally pulling its audience into this story, making them not want to put the book down. Readers can catch Jamie Ford in a series of local readings at these venues. Tacoma Public Library o Sept. 15, Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park on Sept. 16 and finally as part of West Sound Reads at South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard on Sept. 23.
28 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
Film: Love, revenge, and bloodletting in The Villainess By Yayoi L. Winfrey IE Contributor The Villainess is the unlikely title of a film featuring a woman who’s more a victim of circumstance than a ruthless killer on a homicidal spree. While it’s true that she’s a killer and has many moments of ruthlessness, Sookhee (Kim Ok-vin) also has her reasons for executing people for a living. For one, she was just a child when she watched her gangster father being murdered. Shortly after, she was whisked away to China for training as an assassin—including passing a test that had the kid assembling a weapon and using it against her opponent, a grown man, before he could do the same to her. So, of course, Sook-hee’s unorthodox education has made her ruthless. But true to her human side, she marries Joong-sang (Shin Ha-kyun) and attempts a normal life. That is, until he’s killed on their honeymoon and she’s abducted by a secret government agency whose only mission seems to be offing enemies of the state; that is, whenever they’re not huddled together spying on their own spies through closed circuit televisions. “Work for us for 10 years,” the agency tells Sook-hee, “and you’ll gain freedom.” With her choices limited following the birth of a daughter conceived with her late
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husband, Sook-hee accepts their offer. The agency curriculum includes acting and cooking lessons in preparation for Sookhee’s new sleeper identity as a stage actress. She’s also taught fierce fighting techniques. But 10 years of killing is a lot of killing so Sook-hee is also given a beau, Hyun-soo (Bang Sung-jun), who’s secretly assigned to assure she keeps her 10-year commitment. Instead, he falls in love with her. On a crucial assignment, Sook-hee messes up when she recognizes the person she’s supposed to kill. Was her quest for revenge over the death of her husband based on a set-up, she wonders. Too late, the battle is on. Besides the usual car crashes and endless bloodletting, there’s an impossible scene with Sook-hee wielding a katana (Japanese long sword) at her enemies while all three are mounted on racing motorcycles. In the opening scene, director Jung Byung-gil introduces Sook-hee via a long sequence as she shoots her way through seemingly hundreds of well-armed men in black suits. And, when she runs out of bullets, it’s knives, sledgehammers and whatever implements she can grab. A villainess she may not be, but Sook-hee is surely a survivor by any means necessary. Catch ‘The Villainess’ at SIFF Cinema Uptown, September 8. Korean with English subtitles.
Ghost in the Tamarind offers a much-needed perspective of Indian history from the South By Nalini Iyer IE Contributor In Paavalampatti, a village in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, a young boy playing imaginary games about mythological kings and demons discovers the corpse of a murdered man under a tamarind tree and thus his childhood ends abruptly. Ramu, the boy, lives with his grandmother, Gomati Paati, his father, Vishu, and his uncle Siva and his family— they are upper caste Brahmin landowners and Mu r ugap pa n , the murdered man, was a Paraiyan of the untouchable or Dalit community. Murugappan’s brother Chellappa, his son, Manickam, and his daughter, Ponni, live in a hut in a coconut grove and Mu r ugappan was the overseer for Gomati Paati’s lands. Thus, Shankar, begins a multigenerational saga involving the two families from two different castes, and intertwines the story of modern India with a distinctly South Indian regional focus. Ghost in the Tamarind is Shankar’s third novel and his most ambitious in both craft and historical reach. A professor of postcolonial studies at the University of Hawai‘i, Shankar is well-known for his scholarly work, and this novel demonstrates a deep knowledge of Indian caste politics, South Indian history, and Tamil culture. When the narrative begins, India is still under British rule and World War II has just begun and the Indian National Congress is launching the Quit India movement. As Ramu grows up and falls in love with Ponni, thus igniting a controversy that divides his family and drives a wedge between him and his father and uncle, we see India become independent, suffer through Partition, and struggle with the challenges to its democracy from Indira Gandhi’s Emergency. The novel references these larger, well-known historical narratives of India, but Shankar’s novel emphasizes the problems that the new Indi-
an state presents, particularly in terms of the rights of those disenfranchised by India’s entrenched caste system. In telling the story of the oppressed castes, this novel explores the ideas of E.V.R. Periyar, an atheist, anti-caste activist who fought Brahminism and coined the term, Adi Dravidar, to refer to the community. In the novel, Chellappa, Ponni’s uncle, runs away from Paavalampatti to Madras and becomes an activist in the anti-caste movement. Ramu is drawn into the political movement, eventually marries Ponni, and sets up a school for the children of the working poor in another South Indian village. However, caste wars persist and the novel tracks the multigenerational impact of caste- based violence through four generations. Shankar’s gift as a novelist is the depiction of complex and nuanced characters. From Gomati Paati whose courage and wisdom shape Ramu’s life to Chellappa, the radical, and Ponni, the fiery activist, each character is brilliantly depicted. The novelist’s attention to place, his close descriptions of landscapes, and his careful mapping of cities like Madras and Calcutta, bring this narrative to life. Gomati Paati and Ponni are probably some of the best female characters depicted in contemporary Indian fiction—strong, complicated, and passionate, and in charge of their destinies. The narrative offers a much-needed perspective of Indian history from the South and thus different from that of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children or Amitav Ghosh’s Shadow Lines. Shankar’s depiction of village life in Paavalampatti (and this is the second novel in which the village is featured) is reminiscent of that master of Malgudi, R.K. Narayan. Ghost in the Tamarind is a novel that must be read not just for its historical sweep but also for the power of storytelling. S. Shankar will read from this novel on September 12 at 7:00 PM at the Capitol Hill branch of Seattle Public Library. The reading is sponsored by Elliott Bay Books.
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September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 29
King of the Yees coming to ACT Theatre in September By Roxanne Ray IE Contributor Imagine that someone in your family is a playwright. Now imagine that this family playwright decided to write a play about your family itself—and you were the main character. That is the precisely the subject of playwright Lauren Yee’s play King of the Yees, to be presented at ACT Theatre this month. The King in the play’s title is Lauren’s father, Larry Yee. “I always thought my father deserved to have his own play,” Lauren Yee said. “He’s a larger-than-life character, and his devotion to Chinatown and the Yee Fung Toy Family Association was one that puzzled me throughout my life.” The closeness of her main character made the project more, rather than less, challenging. “I had no idea how to write it and how to fit everything wonderful and frustrating about families and Chinatown into a single play,” Lauren said. Her process has been one of experimentation, which made the play a work-in-progress for a long time. “I write very quickly and I throw in all sorts of ideas and characters as I’m going through the writing process,” she said. “I’m not precious about my work and so there are plenty of scenes that got cut in the end. But I need to try them out first to see if they’ll work.” And then life itself helped Lauren finish the play. “As I started writing, some of the real life events in the play happened, which moved the play in the direction that it’s taken since then,” she said. “A truly stranger than fiction experience.” She also says that, in this project, form follows function. “I believe that a story
King of the Yees
should be structured in a way that reflects the content,” she said. “A story about family and Chinatown is necessarily going to be cluttered, messy, emotionally fraught, and funny.” But Lauren claims that King of the Yees isn’t your standard family drama. “My dad and I have a good relationship; we love each other,” she said. “So the tension between a parent and child who share a good relationship but can’t really talk about the emotional distance that’s still between them is a subtler, trickier journey.” Happily, Lauren’s father was pleased rather than offended by the project, and even volunteered to be part of the rehearsal process. Actor Stan Egi, who plays the role of Larry Yee, found the real-life Larry to be just as he is written in the play. “In researching this role, I went up to San Francisco and spent time with the real Larry Yee and had such a great time,” Egi said. “He is so dedicated to his Yee heritage and community, and it is inspiring to future generations.” The other actors agree. “I can really relate to Lauren’s relationship with her dad,” said Khanh Doan, who plays the role of playwright Lauren Yee. “Growing up as children of immigrants and straddling
two cultures certainly impacts your sense of identity.” The challenge of portraying real-life individuals affects the entire cast. “It is a little intimidating to play a character that’s based on the playwright,” Doan said. Ray Tagavilla, who plays multiple characters throughout the play, concurs. “Raymond Chow is a very interesting character,” he said. “Besides the fact that he’s a real person, he’s written as a largerthan-life, blow the roof off your house personality with a sensitive heart.” Actor Joseph Ngo, who likewise portrays several characters, finds this the ultimate tight-rope-walk of the play. “The daily challenge that we face, as I see it,” Ngo said, “is a fine balance that we’re creating between comedy, the challenge of stereotypes, and working outside of caricatures in creating solid characters.” The play has been a learning experience in numerous other ways, as well. “We had an instructor teach us how to do the lion dance,” Doan said. “It is so much harder than it looks! The specificity and strength to bring the lion to life is impressive.” Actor Annelih Hamilton, who also plays multiple roles in the play, feels the same about learning the lion dance. “I have a whole new appreciation for lion dancers!” Hamilton said. “I knew that it was hard, but the specificity in the movement from the footwork to giving the lion personality by shaking his head with my upper body ... Next time I see a lion dance, I’ll have more of an idea of how hard those dancers train.” Hamilton has encountered other challenges, as well. “I’ve never spoken Cantonese, and one of my characters speaks a little bit, so I’ve been working hard on being as authentic as possible,” she said. “I’m discovering how tones can alter the
meaning of a word. No wonder learning Chinese is not an easy task!” Even the show’s designers have found the project educational. “I had never known about the tradition of the Szechuan face changer before,” said set designer Carey Wong, “and so this was an intriguing Chinese theatrical practice that I was introduced to by this show.” Wong also found resonance with other Chinatown-related projects. “I’m currently working on the redesign of Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland’s Historic Chinatowns,” he said. “This is an exhibit originally mounted for the Oregon Historical Society in 2016 that will be reinstalled in the new Portland Chinatown Museum for a spring 2018 opening. Many of the themes in King of the Yees resonated with the work that I’m doing on Beyond the Gate.” Actor Ngo likewise appreciates the links among issues facing Chinatowns across the United States. “I find the play increasingly relevant in terms of the questions it poses to the audience about culture, identity, and the similar challenges of Seattle’s International District when compared to San Francisco’s Chinatown.” At its heart, actor Stan Egi finds this play to be an homage not only to Lauren’s father Larry Yee, but to others just like him. “People like Larry Yee give so much and dedicate themselves to their community and people in order to protect and preserve their culture,” Egi said. “Now more then ever, this is so important.” ‘King of the Yees’ will run from September 8 to October 1 at ACT Theatre, at 700 Union Street, Seattle. For more information, see visit www.acttheatre. org/Tickets/OnStage/KingoftheYees.
The community’s way of saying, ‘Thanks, Denise’ By Gary Iwamoto Special to the IE The following is republished from the April 1978 issue of the International Examiner to remember Denise Louie, a young Chinese-American activist who played an integral role in revitalizing Seattle’s Chinatown International District. Louie was tragically killed on September 4, 1977 as a bystander caught in a gang shootout in San Francisco. They’ve just named a childcare center after my friend, Denise Louie. It’s rare that anything is named after someone who died at such a young age of twentyone but Denise was a rare individual. Denise had gotten more out of life than many of us will ever have even if we live to 100. Rather than sit back and do nothing, Denise got involved.
community or what she tried to do, having something named after her eases the pain of knowing she is not with us. Many of her friends feel as I do that naming a child care center after Denise is appropriate. Kids have a lot of energy, with a tendency to get into mischief. Denise was a lot like that. She’d probably have fit right in with the kids. A child care center has been needed in the International District for a long time. Donnie Chin of the International District Emergency Center once said: “When their momma’s away, the kids will play.” And what Donnie means by “play” is kids playing in garbage cans, fighting in alleys, and just getting into trouble because there is nothing else to do when their parents are away working. People often think of the International District as a place where only the elderly live. But immigrant families do live here. Next time you’re in the District, look in the grocery stores. You’ll probably see some kids hanging out.
For many people, Denise’s name probably doesn’t sound familiar except, perhaps, for the grim fact that she died The center will have programs designed in a San Francisco restaurant. But for to accommodate approximately 17 lowthose of us who knew what she did for the income children. Tentative hours will be
The center plans to offer programs in health care, developmental assessment, and child care guidance. Meals and snacks will be provided. Tentative plans also include bilingual programming. Having Denise Louie’s name associated with such a needed program is a tribute to an unsung heroine. Denise donated many hours of her time to community service without expectation of glory. She volunteered her help for the community garden because she wanted to do it. She helped clean up the facilities at the Chinese Information Center for the Chinese Nutrition Program because she felt good about doing it. She worked on political campaigns for candidates Denise Louie supported by the community because someone had to do it. She participated from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The reason for in demonstrations because Asian voices the early opening hours is to accommodate had to be heard. garment workers who must go to work in Naming the child care center “the the early morning. The child care program is intended to reach children and families Denise Louie Child Care Center” is the who have had little contact with child care community’s way, belatedly, of saying, programs. These specifically include Asian “Thanks, Denise.” immigrant children, Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese.
30 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
Arts & Culture Asia Pacific Cultural Center 4851 So. Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98409 Ph: 253-383-3900 Fx: 253-292-1551 faalua@comcast.net www.asiapacificculturalcenter.org Bridging communities and generations through arts, culture, education and business.
Friends of Asian Art Association (FA3) P.O. Box 15404 Seattle, WA 98115 206-522-5438 friendsofasianart2@gmail.com www.friendsofasianart.org To advance understanding, appreciation and support for Asian arts and cultures, the Friends of Asian Art Association provides and supports programs, activities and materials that reflect the arts and cultures of countries that make up the broad and diverse spectrum of Asia.
Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington 1414 S Weller Street Seattle, WA 98144 Ph: 206-568-7114 admin@jcccw.org www.jcccw.org JCCCW is committed to preserving, promoting, and sharing Japanese and Japanese American culture and heritage. Programs: Japanese Language School | Cultural Events | Library | Resale Store | Internship & Volunteer Opportunities | Historical Exhibitions | Rental Space
RAJANA Society Seattle, WA 206-979-3206 sameth@rajanasociety.org
RAJANA Society is an Arts & Civics project focusing on civic engagement and bridging cultural divides with the Cambodian Diaspora.
Civil Rights & Advocacy Organization of Chinese Americans Asian Pacific American Advocates Greater Seattle Chapter P.O. Box 14141 Seattle, WA 98114
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Homelessness Services
Professional & Leadership Development
YouthCare 2500 NE 54th Street Seattle, WA 98105 206-694-4500 info@youthcare.org www.youthcare.org
Working to prevent and end youth homelessness with services including meals, shelter, housing, job training, education, and more.
Homeownership Services HomeSight 5117 Rainier Ave S Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-723-4355 fx: 206-760-4210 www.homesightwa.org NMLS#49289 HomeSight creates homeownership opportunities through first mortgage lending, down payment assistance, real estate development, homebuyer education, and counseling.
Housing Services InterIm Community Development Association 310 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 Ph: 206-624-1802 Services: 601 S King St, Ph: 206-623-5132 Interimicda.org Multilingual community building: affordable housing, housing counseling, homelessness prevention, advocacy, teen leadership, and the Danny Woo Community Garden.
Executive Development Institute 310 – 120th Ave NE. Suite A102 Bellevue, WA Ph: 425-467-9365 edi@ediorg.org • www.ediorg.org EDI offers culturally relevant leadership development programs.
WE MAKE LEADERS Fostering future leaders through education, networking and community NAAAP Seattle services for Asian American Queen Anne Station professionals and entreP.O. Box 19888 preneurs. Seattle, WA 98109 Facebook: NAAAP-Seattle info@naaapseattle.org Twitter: twitter.com/naaapwww.naaapseattle.org seattle
Senior Services
The Kin On Team is ready to serve YOU! www.kinon.org
Kawabe Memorial House 221 18th Ave S Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-322-4550 connie.devaney@gmail.com We provide affordable, safe, culturally sensitive housing and support services to people aged 62 and older.
Immigration Services
Denise Louie Education Center 206-767-8223 info@deniselouie.org www.deniselouie.org
Offering home visiting services for children birth to 3 and full & part-day multicultural preschool education for ages 3 to 5 in the International District, Beacon Hill and Rainier Beach.
Social & Health Services Asian Counseling & Referral Service 3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-695-7600 fx: 206-695-7606 events@acrs.org www.acrs.org ACRS offers multilingual, behavioral health and social services to Asian Pacific Americans and other low-income people in King County.
APICAT 601 S King St. Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-682-1668 www.apicat.org Addressing tobacco, marijuana prevention and control and other health disparities in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner.
Cathay Post #186 of The American Legion Supporting veterans for over 70 years Accepting new members—contact us today to learn more! (206) 355-4422 P.O. Box 3281 Seattle, WA 98144-3281 cathaypost@hotmail.com
www.ocaseattle.org
Washington New Americans Program OneAmerica 1225 S. Weller St., Suite 430 Seattle, WA 98144 Are you a lawful permanent resident? The Washington New Americans program can help you complete your application for U.S. citizenship. Low-cost and free services available – please call our hotline or visit www.wanewamericans.org. Phone: 1-877-926-3924 Email: wna@weareoneamerica.org Website: www.wanewamericans.org
Southeast Seattle Senior Center 4655 S. Holly St., Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-722-0317 fax: 206-722-2768 kateh@seniorservices.org www.sessc.org Daytime activities center providing activities social services, trips, and community for seniors and South Seattle neighbors. We have weaving, Tai Chi, indoor beach-ball, yoga, dance, senior-oriented computer classes, trips to the casino, and serve scratch cooked lunch. Open Monday through Friday, 8:30-4. Our thrift store next door is open Mon-Fri 10-2, Sat 10-4. This sweet center has services and fun for the health and well-being of boomers and beyond. Check us out on Facebook or our website.
Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs GA Bldg., 210 11th Ave SW, Suite 301A Olympia, WA 98504 ph: (360) 725-5667 www.facebook.com/wacapaa capaa@capaa.wa.gov www.capaa.wa.gov Statewide liaison between government and APA communities. Monitors and informs the public about legislative issues.
Seattle Chinatown/International District Preservation and Development Authority ph: 206-624-8929 fx: 206-467-6376 info@scidpda.org Housing, property management and community development.
OCA—Greater Seattle Chapter was formed in 1995 and since that time it has been serving the Greater Seattle Chinese and Asian Pacific American community as well as other communities in the Pacific Northwest. It is recognized in the local community for its advocacy of civil and voting rights as well as its sponsorship of community activities and events.
Education
Senior Services
Keiro Northwest 1601 E Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122 ph: 206-323-7100 www.keironorthwest.org rehabilitation care | skilled nursing | assisted living | home care | senior day care | meal delivery | transportation | continuing education | catering services
Legacy House 803 South Lane Street Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-292-5184 fx: 206-838-3057 info@legacyhouse.org www.scidpda.org/programs/legacyhouse. aspx Services offered: Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, meal programs for low-income seniors.
Chinese Information & Service Center 611 S Lane St, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-624-5633 fax: 206-624-5634 info@cisc-seattle.org www.cisc-seattle.org Creating opportunities for Asian immigrants and their families to succeed by helping them make the transition to a new life while keeping later generations in touch with their rich heritage.
Want to join the Community Resource Directory? Contact lexi@iexaminer.org
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September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017 — 31
Since 1935
Tai Tung Restaurant International District Medical & Dental Clinic 720 8th Avenue S, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-788-3700 email: info@ichs.com website: www.ichs.com
Banquet Facilities - Catering - Delivery
Bellevue Medical & Dental Clinic 1050 140th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98005 ph: 425-373-3000 Shoreline Medical & Dental Clinic 16549 Aurora Avenue N, Shoreline, WA 98133 ph: 206-533-2600 Holly Park Medical & Dental Clinic 3815 S Othello St, Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-788-3500 The largest Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community health center in Washington state, ICHS provides medical, dental, behavioral health and pharmacy care with multilingual doctors, nurses and staff experienced in meeting the needs of King County’s diverse and multicultural communities. All are welcome and sliding fee scales are available for uninsured patients.
7301 Beacon Ave S Seattle, WA 98108 ph: 206-587-3735 fax: 206-748-0282 www.idicseniorcenter.org info@idicseniorcenter.org
Come Enjoy the Oldest Chinese Restaurant in Town!
IDIC is a nonprofit human services organization that offers wellness and social service programs to Filipinos and API communities.
655 S King St, Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 622-7372
Parking & Transportation Services
Mon-Thurs 11am-10:30pm Fri-Sat 11am-12am Sun 11am-10pm
206-624-3426 transia@aol.com Merchants Parking provides convenient and affordable community parking. Transia provides community transportation: para-transportation services, shuttle services, and field trips in and out of Chinatown/International District, and King County.
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Answers to this puzzle are on Wednesday, September 20.
32 — September 6, 2017 – September 19, 2017
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